This film in due time shall prove to be a milestone in Persian literature and drama. Noting the Western art critics accolades, in spite of lack of knowledge of the background and having to follow the story through fast moving, abbrevi­ated subtitles, one can only assume that A Separation shall also prove to be a milestone in world cinema, once more deeply studied. The most outstanding feature is the amount of compaction in content that the film has achieved, a modern necessity consid­ering the fast pace of modern life. If one is familiar with present and past of the Iranian culture and attentive enough to the details, there is enough in this two hour movie to outgun a Thomas Mann novel. This high level of compaction is achieved by relying on the viewer to fill in the details from gestures, clues, metaphors, allegories and knowledge of the Iranian socio-political scene. All these instruments can only be assembled under one roof in the cinema. In theater or literature you cannot use the exchange of the eye contact between Termeh and the little girl that speaks volumes about the corruption of the grown up world. Could Farhadi achieve the same hight in a French film, where he lacks the cultural background? My only consolation is that enough of the richness of 'A Separation' may have been lost to the occidental viewer that he may enjoy the French film even more than the original Persian masterpiece!