In the past month, the final link of the chain of successes for the film “A Separation” by Asghar Farhadi was completed, and this film was able to win the title of Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Asghar Farhadi, upon receiving his award, saw this film as a starting point for mutual understanding among people of the world in the pursuit of strengthening human rights, peace, and avoiding international conflicts. But what is the real connection between this film and human rights?

Perhaps this issue can be examined at two levels:

a) Film expression/style

b) Internal Concepts of Film

a) Film expression style

The film “A Separation” with its simple and fluid narrative, actually tells a story that reflects the everyday concerns of the people of its country. When watching this film, Iranian viewers easily identify with the characters and understand them on a personal level. This is evident in the numerous international awards and the positive reception from audiences around the world, who also recognize the similarities and shared concerns between Iranians and people from other parts of the world. Many critics and sociologists have considered this film to be a universal work, with its elements that may appear different, but its core message and concerns are relatable and understandable on a global scale. This is further emphasized by the fact that the screenplay for “A Separation” was also nominated for Best Screenplay and received much praise.

Many times, welcoming a foreign work is done to understand and observe the behaviors, actions, and concerns of the people of that country. But in the film “A Separation”, the work actually expresses a global mirror for the viewer. This important matter can be a crucial factor in creating and strengthening mutual understanding between humans, regardless of race or religion.

Unfortunately, due to political conflicts between different countries around the world, the people of these countries do not have a proper and real understanding of each other. As a result, direct observation of the lives and internal concerns of a country’s people by foreign audiences and understanding it themselves plays a role in promoting peace in the world. Because many conflicts are caused by lack of mutual understanding and understanding.

b) Internal concepts of the film

The film “A Separation” actually deals with the separation between the mind and reality, and during the narration of an incident and problem, it shows the conflict between these two levels of existence. On one hand, the mind relies on truths that cannot or should not be used in reality, which is itself a contradiction between desire and existence in the individual and social realm of humans. This issue ultimately leads to conflict, instability, and lack of peace.

The separation of mind and body and the effort towards aligning them with each other is a philosophical subject that has occupied the minds of political, social, and legal thinkers since ancient times. Some have tried to create social change by prioritizing the mind and giving it a tangible form, while others believed that the mind is constructed by this tangibility and must be shaped accordingly. The field of epistemology has also entered this discussion, referring to social developments as a product of thoughts and mindsets formed within a certain reality and tangibility.

This issue has been very important and vital in the field of human rights. Natural rights, which are the primary standard of human rights, are actually of a mental nature that attracts humans to themselves. However, this mental issue has clashed with the existing current and institutional rights in society, making itself the source of instability. In this regard, some believe that the standard of current and stable rights is ironclad, while others believe in the reference to human rights and freedom. In the meantime, some have tried to create a platform for the coexistence of these two. However, this important matter has never been fully and comprehensively achieved. The conflict between these two has always turned human thought towards itself, and the peace-loving human has been suspended and burned in the fire of each of these two extremes.

The film “A Separation” portrays the concerns of an Iranian citizen who advocates for peace, truth, and ethical behavior, but is forced to do things in the destructive cycle of current laws that constantly condemns them in their own inner court of mind.

Faithful words

This film actually reflects to the world that the internal and human concerns of Iranian citizens are of the same nature as the concerns of other people of the world, and they are equally advocates for peace and human rights. However, these concrete realities and current rights are the causes of conflicts and confrontations between countries.

Therefore, the title “My People Are Seeking Peace and Human Rights” was an issue that came from the truth of Asghar Farhadi’s film, and what better and purer tool than art to display this inner reality in a gathering where culture and truth speak first, not the policies that create the illusion of justification and promotion of materiality in the mind?! Perhaps Farhadi is not an expert or a social thinker in the field of human rights or international peace, but he is an artist who sees the reality and truth of his society and expresses it in the most understandable way possible. Therefore, his work and what he expresses may be the richest resources for sustainable peace, human rights, and creating mutual understanding on a global scale.