Dubai The Academy Award-winning A Separation tells the story of a tug of war that took place inside an ordinary Iranian household between a married couple. The wife is pushing to leave Iran in hopes of living a happier life abroad while the husband wants to stay to take care of his father who is suffering from Alzheimer's.
The movie allowed the international community to see Iran in a different light that is far removed from politics and the nuclear crisis that seems to define the country. Iranians in the UAE spoke to Gulf News about the movie and its subject of leaving home to build a new life.
Difficult choice
Ali Arjomandi, a fruit trader, said: "From the experience that I had, it's difficult to take sides; both husband and wife are right in their own way. If we look at this [the movie] from the wife's perspective, we'll find that yes, leaving Iran for the children makes perfect sense. However, then when I look at the husband's point of view, and see his need to adhere to his cultural upbringing which compels him to take care of his parents, I can't fault him. Normally this behaviour is more enforced in daughters rather than sons."
For Ali, wanting to leave to provide his family with a better life is wise, however "staying to take care of my parents is a priority. If there was no one in Iran to take care of my parents, I'd wait until their death and then leave the country".
Talieh Naghedinia, a student at the Islamic Azzad University in Dubai, believes that this movie stands out because it focused on city people going about their daily lives. She said: "Normally our movies involve the people living in the villages, but to finally peek into the daily life of the city was exciting for me."
Much like Ali, Talieh found herself torn between both the husband and the wife's arguments in the movie. Both are valid in her view. However, Talieh believes that as a woman she should remain with her husband until his duty towards his father is done.
