A Separation ending explained

What happens

Nader and Simin return to the divorce court after the legal fight settles nothing. The judge asks Termeh to choose which parent she will live with. She doesn't answer, and her parents wait apart in the corridor.

The last image

Nader and Simin sit apart in the corridor outside the courtroom, waiting, while Termeh's decision is still unanswered.

Three readings

1 · A choice you decideThe film refuses a verdict and leaves the choice open, as it left the whole case open.

2 · A child's burdenThe adults' failures now fall on Termeh, who must choose between them.

3 · A marriage already endedWaiting apart in the corridor suggests the separation is already real, whatever she says.

What it says

Everyone has defended what they love, and no one has been proved right. By ending on Termeh's silence, the film moves from legal verdict to personal choice, and trusts you to live with not knowing.