Simin has beauty on her side, though not always unvarnished truth when she's working her marital stratagems.

WSJ: A Separation | War Horse | Iron Lady | A Separation Comes Together Exceptionally | Film Review by Joe Morgenstern

Nader (Peyman Moadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) are a married couple in trouble.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

However, it's not clear that their daughter even wants to leave and she chooses to stay with her father when Simin leaves.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

Simin wants to leave Iran with her husband and daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi), but Nader refuses to leave his ailing father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi).

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

We see two people, middle-class Iranians named Nader (Peyman Moadi) and his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami), facing the camera and discussing their possible divorce.

NEWYORKER: Tehran Tales

But unless Nader either agrees to a divorce or permits Simin and Termeh to go without one, Simin cannot leave the country with her daughter.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

Simin plans to leave the country and make a life abroad, but Nader wants to stay and raise their only child, an eleven-year-old girl called Termeh (Sarina Farhadi), in Iran.

NEWYORKER: Tehran Tales

Nader and Simin appear to be relatively secular.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

As a result, Simin sues Nader for divorce.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

Nader refuses to give his permission and Simin moves out, choosing to live with her parents while continuing to try and get her husband to agree to either come with them or allow Termeh to go.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama