A Separation
Nader (Payman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter.
The film earned $31.2M at the global box office.
1 Oscar. 89 wins & 52 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Separation (2011) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Asghar Farhadi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 3 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 4.0, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Nader
Simin
Razieh
Hodjat
Termeh
Main Cast & Characters
Nader
Played by Peyman Moaadi
A middle-class bank employee fighting to care for his father with Alzheimer's while navigating divorce and a legal crisis. Principled and rational, but increasingly trapped by conflicting duties.
Simin
Played by Leila Hatami
Nader's wife who seeks divorce to emigrate for their daughter's future. Educated and determined, caught between her marriage and her aspirations.
Razieh
Played by Sareh Bayat
A deeply religious working-class woman hired to care for Nader's father. Faces moral dilemmas between economic necessity and religious principles.
Hodjat
Played by Shahab Hosseini
Razieh's volatile, unemployed husband struggling with debt and pride. His anger and desperation drive the conflict to crisis points.
Termeh
Played by Sarina Farhadi
Nader and Simin's intelligent 11-year-old daughter caught between her parents. Observant and conflicted about loyalty and truth.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Nader and Simin argue before a judge about their divorce. Simin wants to leave Iran for their daughter's future, but Nader refuses to abandon his elderly father with Alzheimer's.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Nader comes home to find his father tied to the bed, alone and nearly fallen. Razieh has abandoned her post without explanation, leaving the vulnerable man in danger.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Razieh's husband Hodjat violently confronts Nader at his workplace, threatening him. Nader learns Razieh has miscarried. The private domestic dispute becomes a legal and public crisis that will consume everyone., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Significantly, this crucial beat In court, Razieh swears on the Quran that Nader knew she was pregnant when he pushed her. Nader faces potential criminal conviction. The stakes shift from divorce and custody to prison and murder charges. False defeat., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Nader's father dies. The man at the center of everything—the reason Nader couldn't leave Iran, the reason Razieh was hired, the cause of the entire tragedy—is gone. Nader breaks down, having lost everything he fought to protect., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. Razieh confesses to Hodjat that she doesn't know if Nader caused the miscarriage—she was hit by a car that day. The truth emerges: there is no clear truth. Hodjat must choose between vengeance and mercy, between blood money and forgiveness., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Separation's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping A Separation against these established plot points, we can identify how Asghar Farhadi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Separation within the drama genre.
Asghar Farhadi's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Asghar Farhadi films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.3, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. A Separation takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Asghar Farhadi filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Asghar Farhadi analyses, see Everybody Knows, The Salesman and The Past.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Nader and Simin argue before a judge about their divorce. Simin wants to leave Iran for their daughter's future, but Nader refuses to abandon his elderly father with Alzheimer's.
Theme
Simin's father asks, "Why didn't you come to an agreement before it came to this?" The theme: the impossibility of truth and the complexity of moral choices when competing values collide.
Worldbuilding
Simin moves out to her mother's. Nader lives with daughter Termeh and his father. We see the daily struggles of caring for the elderly man, the separation's impact on Termeh, and Nader hiring Razieh as caregiver.
Disruption
Nader comes home to find his father tied to the bed, alone and nearly fallen. Razieh has abandoned her post without explanation, leaving the vulnerable man in danger.
Resistance
Nader confronts Razieh when she returns. She offers excuses about religious obligations. The conflict escalates: Nader discovers money missing, accuses her of theft, and physically pushes her out of the apartment. She falls down the stairs.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Razieh's husband Hodjat violently confronts Nader at his workplace, threatening him. Nader learns Razieh has miscarried. The private domestic dispute becomes a legal and public crisis that will consume everyone.
Mirror World
Simin re-enters Nader's life to help with the legal crisis. Their relationship—broken yet bound by duty and love for Termeh—becomes the emotional mirror reflecting the film's central questions about truth, responsibility, and sacrifice.
Premise
The legal investigation unfolds. Testimonies reveal contradictions: Did Nader know Razieh was pregnant? Did he push her intentionally? Both families navigate the justice system, seeking truth while protecting their interests. Class divisions and religious complications deepen.
Midpoint
In court, Razieh swears on the Quran that Nader knew she was pregnant when he pushed her. Nader faces potential criminal conviction. The stakes shift from divorce and custody to prison and murder charges. False defeat.
Opposition
Hodjat demands blood money. Nader's lawyer seeks witnesses. Termeh is caught between parents and forced to testify. The moral complexity deepens: we learn Razieh may have been hit by a car, that she hid her pregnancy, that she struggled with religious guilt about caring for Nader's father.
Collapse
Nader's father dies. The man at the center of everything—the reason Nader couldn't leave Iran, the reason Razieh was hired, the cause of the entire tragedy—is gone. Nader breaks down, having lost everything he fought to protect.
Crisis
At the funeral and after, Nader sits in darkness with his grief. Razieh, consumed by guilt, privately admits uncertainty about what caused her miscarriage. Both families are destroyed by their pursuit of their version of justice.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Razieh confesses to Hodjat that she doesn't know if Nader caused the miscarriage—she was hit by a car that day. The truth emerges: there is no clear truth. Hodjat must choose between vengeance and mercy, between blood money and forgiveness.
Synthesis
Hodjat chooses to forgive and drop the case, but only if Nader admits he knew about the pregnancy. Nader refuses to lie. The legal case dissolves without resolution. Simin and Nader return to divorce court, leaving the decision to Termeh.
Transformation
Termeh must choose which parent to live with. She makes her decision but whispers it privately to the judge. Nader and Simin wait in separate rooms, separated by glass. The family remains broken, truth remains elusive, and we never learn Termeh's choice. No easy answers exist.