A Reading of 'A Seperation'

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012 from Iran directed by Asghar Farhadi. A reading of 'A separation' as a take on the legal jurispredence of modern society, in this case the modern iran trying to reintroduce shariah system yet in the peculiarity of the case is a kind of modern system of justice esp. in context to the right of woman (but not the right of unborn child? For here the supreme importance of life is displayed thru the islamic law of compensation for responsibility for the death of unborn child..is that a step higher here again there is a hint of the superiority of the islamic law) esp. when we consider the end where in the truth finally is revealed because of faith (the director takes pain to establish the religiousness of the maid woman) for she refuses her charges when confronted with the matter of taking an oath for the same upon the holy book and the setting is esp. important for it is a community of elders, neighbours and respectful but working class kind of religious people who intermediate to resolve the matter off court through compensation amount offered by the charged party only the man puts a condition in the meeting before handing the money over that the accuser should take oath upon the holy book in regards to her charges and matters break down. In this way the movie provides a framework for multilayered nterpretations. In this reading the text which is the movie is interwoven with the islamic vs the modern legal system and perhaps suggests that neither at least wrt the Islamic Iran after the revolution in the case of the former can provide a system of justice and how it is community and mutual dialogues which provide best results for negotiations that could be satisfactory to both parties along with the theme of the class conflict quite clearly and vividly pointed out in the film where at times it seems that it is the class conflict that motivates the alleged victim's husband to pursue the case and file charges of murder of unborn child. Yet here again the director seems to suggest how community intervention seeks to recognize the economic difference which becomes a part of their deliberations in determining compensation amount but not submit to it as does the modern system or the bureaucratic system hypocritically as alleged by the alleged victims husband in front of the judge and is clear in the way the authorities behave in terms of manner if not decision differently to the accused party who is an educated respected white collar worker. the fact that the story is told through the eyes of the adloscent girl child of the accused party the film can also be read as the issues faced by women which however has been nicely balanced leaving an impression that women do seem to have their say in the islamic society despite the parda etc it is this inter-textual reading of the film that delineates the various interpretative themes and plots of the movie in the following three interwoven themes of islamic/modernity conflict esp wrt jurispredence and the importance of life (unborn child - value of compensation for unborn death), on the second level the class conflicts that informs the film plot and thirdly the with respect to the treatment of the women in the movie (a sub plot is the issue of divorce and rason in the educated couple and in the second is the anger and frustration resulting in quarrels in the poor couple whose point of view is again provided thru the eyes of the poor couple's young daughter, an important witness to the whole thing and in the process the director brings out the prejudices and stereotypes that inform the impressions of the educated class)however the third is not sa feminist reading but to attempt that itself would be interesting... ..Mohsin, the Wali