A Separation From Reality

In the US the winning streak of this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film rolls on. A Separation remains in the top 20 at the box office and has just topped Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In on track to finish as the year’s most successful foreign language film and the highest grossing Oscar winner since 06’s The Lives of Others.

Yet in Iran it’s another story. After a brief bout of chest-thumping over their victory over the Israeli nominee Iranian authorities have turned on the film and resumed their persecution of Farhadi and the Iranian film community. So what’s the big deal over A Separation? To American eyes this appears to be the equivalent of Congress condemning The Descendants as subversive.

I get ito it in this week's Burning Questions column. Head over to The Film Experience to read all about it.