Character Relationship Map: A Separation

Characters

• Simin (played by Leila Hatami) — protagonist

  Upper-middle-class wife and mother who initiates divorce proceedings to emigrate from Iran. Returns to support her husband during the criminal trial and ultimately secures the divorce.

• Nader (played by Payman Maadi) — protagonist

  Husband and son who stays in Iran to care for his aging father. Hires a cleaner, accidentally causes her miscarriage, faces criminal charges, and lies in court to avoid prison.

• Razieh (played by Sareh Bayat) — supporting

  Deeply religious woman hired to care for Nader's father. Claims to suffer a miscarriage after being pushed out of the apartment and becomes central to the criminal case.

• Termeh (played by Sarina Farhadi) — supporting

  The couple's 10-year-old daughter who stays with her father. Witnesses family tensions and legal battles, eventually lying to protect her father before choosing which parent to live with.

• Nader's Father (played by Ali-Asghar Shahbazi) — supporting

  Nader's elderly father suffering from Alzheimer's disease and incontinence. His declining health and wandering incidents trigger the chain of events leading to the subsequent crisis.

• Simin's Mother (played by Shirin Yazdanbakhsh) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Simin's Mother → Simin (mother)
• Nader's Father → Nader (father)
• Nader → Razieh (Professional Employer) — Their employment arrangement initiates the central dispute.

  Nader hires Razieh to take care of the elderly man during the day.

• Simin → Termeh (Family Mother) — Simin's maternal relationship with Termeh is tested by the divorce.

  The plot describes Simin and Nader as Termeh's parents, and Termeh ultimately chooses which parent she will live with.

• Nader → Termeh (Family Father) — Nader is Termeh's father and primary caregiver during the separation.

  Nader stays in Iran to care for his father, while Termeh stays with him after Simin moves to her parents' home.

• Nader → Simin (Family Husband) — Their marriage is strained by conflicting plans about emigration and caregiving.

  The plot identifies Nader and Simin as a married couple whose divorce proceedings are central to the story.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Razieh → Termeh (Narrative Witness Connection) — Termeh becomes indirectly connected to the disputed evidence.

  Razieh's account depends partly on a conversation with Termeh about a doctor's recommendation for her pregnancy.

• Simin → Razieh (Social Confidantes) — Simin becomes the person to whom Razieh reveals evidence complicating her claim.

  Razieh confesses to Simin that she was hit by a car while retrieving the elderly man and was already in pain that night.

Story Analysis

A family separation becomes an uncertain legal and moral struggle in which conflicting truths reshape every relationship.

Plot Progression

1. A Family Pulled Apart — Simin wants to emigrate, but Nader refuses because he must care for his father. The rejected divorce application separates the spouses while Termeh remains with Nader.
2. The Caregiving Disaster — Nader hires Razieh to provide daytime care, but the work quickly becomes difficult. The elderly man's disappearance and the discovery of him bound to the bed lead to accusations and a violent confront...
3. Truth Under Judgment — Razieh's miscarriage transforms the domestic dispute into a criminal case. Conflicting testimony about Nader's knowledge of the pregnancy places Termeh under intense moral pressure.
4. Confessions And Doubt — Nader admits that he lied, while Termeh gives testimony to protect him. Razieh later reveals that a car hit her before the apartment confrontation, undermining certainty about the miscarriage's cause.
5. An Unresolved Choice — Nader seeks a Qur'an oath, but Razieh cannot swear that he caused the miscarriage. The divorce is granted, leaving Termeh to choose between her parents.