Written by and starring Arden, Separation follows protagonist ‘Jane’, whose marital breakdown is mirrored in her mental state. The fractured narrative follows Jane through conversations with her husband (David de Keyser) and encounters with her lover (Iain Quarrier). Presented in a non-linear chronology, it makes for a heartfelt jigsaw of the collapse of a relationship with auspicious beginnings, and the loneliness felt by Jane even within the intimacy of marriage. Bond’s directorial style is influenced by European art cinema of the period, and although the fashions and soundtrack may date the film, the issues raised in Arden’s writing still resonate today. In an amusing footnote, it was ten minutes before its screening at the 1967 Cork Film Festival that the film was banned by the festival’s executive council, a decision festival director Dermot Breen attributed to “a very provincial committee”.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

Screening as part of Jane Arden: A New Communion.