There are still several movies I have yet to see that may make this list, so these posts may continue for the next month or so. Nonetheless, here is part of a series of posts that will highlight 2011 releases that I gave an A+ grade to. It should be noted that release dates are complicated as movies often premiere in film festivals months or years before they hit theaters stateside, so “2011” should be taken liberally. You can see a list of all the movies I watch and rate linked in the description of my Tumblr page.

Class conflicts have always been a subject of examination in the art world. “A Separation,” the Golden Bear-winning film by Asghar Farhadi, acutely looks at class distinctions at Iran through intertwined family and legal drama.

Class is not the only rift that the film examines. It is, above all, a social drama. The movie takes a look at the impact of things like family, religion, and trust - as well as how those things are meaningful in different ways to different people.Those meanings muddle an objective understanding of right and wrong. Farhadi’s careful screenplay smartly takes no moral stance on the decisions of its characters, thus showing that the root of harm in life is not necessarily evil people, but an intricate design of circumstance that humans cannot have any just control over.

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