Separation

Simin pushes for a new life outside Iran, citing the need to secure Termeh’s future and a safer path for the family. She envisions visas, relocation, and a chance to rebuild away from daily pressures. The plan sets a fault line that will test trust, loyalty, and what it means to stay.

Simin formally petitions for divorce, hoping to formalize a fresh start for Termeh. The move challenges Nader’s belief that they should stay for his father’s sake. The threat of separation looms over every ordinary interaction.

The family court finds Simin’s reasons insufficient and declines to grant the divorce. The decision leaves her to reconsider her options and to step back from the plan to move away. Simin retreats to her parents’ home while Termeh remains with Nader.

Simin retreats to her parents’ home, and Termeh continues living with Nader. The home stabilizes in appearance but fences are being built under the surface. A quiet, relentless moral argument starts to unfold within the walls.

To ensure daytime care for his ailing father, Nader hires Razieh, a deeply religious woman from the poorer suburb. Razieh arrives with her young daughter Somayeh and begins taking on the apartment’s daily duties. The arrangement introduces class and religious tensions into the family’s intimate routine.

Razieh settles into her role, navigating the frail elder’s needs and the daily responsibilities. The old man’s confusion and incontinence complicate her duties and test everyone’s patience. The household slowly adapts to this new routine.

A moment of danger arises as the old man slips away and wanders into traffic. Razieh rushes to keep him safe, fighting through crowds and confusion. The incident foreshadows the fragile trust that will soon fracture.

The next day they return home to discover the elder unconscious and tied to the bed, an alarming but ambiguous scene. Razieh and Somayeh are gone, heightening suspicions of neglect and responsibility. Nader’s suspicions begin to crystallize into accusations.

Razieh says she left because of an urgent personal matter and had rushed out. Nader immediately suspects neglect and even theft, pointed by the fact that Simin’s money was used for movers. The mounting accusations set the stage for a fierce, public dispute.

Razieh claims Nader knew about the pregnancy, a claim supported by Termeh’s tutor, who later withdraws her testimony. Termeh weighs competing loyalties and grows doubtful about the certainty of any single account. The private argument slips into the courtroom’s formalities.

In a pivotal moment, Nader confesses to Termeh that he lied to shield both his father and his own freedom. The tutor’s withdrawn testimony weakens Razieh’s case. Termeh, trying to shield her father, tells the judge that she learned of the pregnancy herself.

The trial exposes competing truths as Razieh reiterates her version and Hodjat shows volatile anger. Simin offers to help Hodjat financially, but the gesture underscores the fragility of any settlement. Nader presses Razieh to swear on the Qur’an that he caused the miscarriage, an ultimatum that heightens the moral weight of the case.

The court ultimately grants the divorce to Nader and Simin, sealing the couple’s separation for the time being. Termeh remains the living link between the two households and must decide with whom she will live. The verdict ends with a sober acknowledgment of consequences beyond the courtroom.

Outside the court, the parents wait separately while Termeh speaks to the judge. Her calm, careful articulation reveals a resilient, nuanced understanding of truth, duty, love, and fear. The scene lingers on Termeh’s resolve after a long, painful journey.