In A Separation, Farhadi also shows one way in which the possibility of diyya, what we call ‘Blood Money’ works. Diyya is a form of restorative justice, though the English name for it is somewhat pejorative, and despite the fact that it is an ancient practice, it is not considered when we ‘civilized’ Westerners look for models of restorative justice. In one of Farhadi’s previous films, Beautiful City, and in this one, he uses this practice to bring out the dynamics between his characters in a very stark manner. In the real world, the practice empowers the plaintiff and the accused to make their own peace rather than leaving all power with the state.
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