New Zealand now gets its chance to see the critically acclaimed Iranian drama ‘A Separation’, which opened in theatres today. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Academy Awards and Golden Globes, this looks a very compelling, emotional and powerful piece of cinema.

Here’s the trailer:

Nader and Simin have been married for fourteen years and live with their eleven-year-old daughter Termeh in Tehran. Not exactly out-of-love, Nader and Simin are attempting to divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. They have acquired visas to emigrate from Iran – Simin is anxious to ensure a better future for Termeh, but Nader refuses to leave his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. When the judge refuses to formalise their separation, Simin departs the family home, leaving the obstinate Nader to hire a housekeeper. Razieh is a devout, impoverished woman who tends to the apartment and Nader’s father. When Nader returns one day to find his father alone, it leads to an altercation that has unexpected consequences.

Directed by Asghar Farhadi, A Separation stars Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi, Ali-Asghar Shahbazi, Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, Kimia Hosseini, and Merila Zarei.