classicsoncall I would be hard pressed to come up with another movie that keeps the viewer so conflicted and anxious about the characters over the course of it's run time. There's literally no down time to catch a breather here because virtually every scene involves the principal players bickering with each other, over matters that are not trivial. I was particularly intrigued by the daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi, daughter of director Asghar Faradi), caught between two parents who can't come to terms over mother Simin's (Leila Hatami) desire to leave Iran for a better life, and father Nader (Peyman Noadi), who harbors a strong sense of duty to remain and care for his own, Alzheimer's afflicted father.Following the incident with housekeeper Razieh (Sareh Bayat), Termeh acts as her father's conscience, constantly prodding him with questions about what happened and his culpability in Razieh's miscarriage. Though her best advice is for Nader to tell the truth in court, it was with great insecurity that she appeared before the judge to answer questions about what she knew or had observed or overheard among the various parties involved. She answered honestly about knowledge of a doctor's phone number shared between her tutor and Razieh, but for all that, she was able to evade the question of whether her father knew about Razieh's pregnancy, because the judge never asked her about it. That knowledge about the pregnancy was crucial to the judge's understanding of what happened and how he would deal with the case. So in effect, Termeh did not follow her own advice and was severely conflicted over her decision.As good and as tightly scripted this story was about the conflicts between the parties, the primary thing that bothered me about it was how the plaintiff's side (Razieh and husband Hojjat), consistently talked to the defendant's side (Nader and Simin) throughout the story. Sometimes the conversation was cordial, at other times confrontational. That did not resemble the American system of justice that I'm familiar with, and I can only assume that strictures among opposing parties are different in some way in Iran. Perhaps because each side was operating without an attorney before the judge had something to do with it. Still, it was odd to see how the parties came together to put together a monetary settlement, even if Nader was not going to go along with it.The picture concludes with as much ambiguity as everything leading up to it, and the viewer is challenged to come up with their own interpretation of who Termeh will agree to live with following this ordeal. There are compelling reasons why she would pick one parent over the other that work for either choice, so the question remains, what would you do? I have my idea, but you'll have to watch the film to come up with your own.

hamidaria21 This film shows the culture and society of Iran. I myself am an Iranian and live in Iran. The lives of the Iranian people are largely influenced by Islamic culture. Many of the issues that are commonplace in the ordinary world in Iran are unusual and unresolved. Like sex and marital affairs. Many women in Iran are betrayed by their husbands, but they are forced to remain silent. The law does not defend women. The constraints on the part of the government, as well as the lives of the people of Iran, are showing up, and they really deserve the Scarecrow Prize.

Robert-J-McAvoy If we like to think this movie as a color combination with black and white this movie did not turn out to be gray, just for some reason...I can say this is the best films of Asghar Farhadi by far Only Iranian society that can make a story like thisMake this movie to the list! 'A movies that people should see before they die'

arm19950404 It's A Must Watch Movie For Every Iranian Person... I Watched This Movie 3 Times... And Every Time I Watched It, I Never Tired of Watching... Because of The of Fascinating Story of Writing... And I Suggest To Iranian Persons To Watch This Movie At Least 1 Time... The Playing of Peyman Moadi And Leila Hatami is Perfect...And Is Also Attractive...