separation movie review 2021

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors.

Now streaming on:

William Brent Bell ’s “Separation” is an atrocious piece of work, a movie that fails as both a domestic drama and as a horror flick, and really feels like the kind of thing that everyone involved is going to have to discuss in therapy someday to get to the bottom of why it was even made in the first place. And it’s a viciously misogynistic film that feels like the result of a drunk guy at a bar wondering if his ex-wife is so cruel that she would haunt him from beyond the grave. Critics in the ‘20s are often accused of putting political or social agendas into films that don’t really merit such a reading, but the two main female characters in “Separation” are so poorly, cruelly defined purely in context of the male lead that it’s almost like the movie is challenging people not to notice (especially when you add in that the only supportive characters are male colleagues to the protagonist). Even if you don’t think it’s a grossly sexist film, there’s no denying it’s a shallow one that’s also almost defiantly light on scares, and one that ends with a twist that’s somehow both depressingly easy to see coming and totally ludicrous. Although that’s kind of the modus operandi for the director of “ Brahms: The Boy II ” and “The Devil Inside.” And this might be his worst movie.

The first act of “Separation” plays out like a relatively straightforward domestic drama wherein Maggie Vahn ( Mamie Gummer ) decides that she’s had enough of her slacker artist husband Jeff ( Rupert Friend ). In a series of scenes that make it clear that at least someone involved in the production of this film had an ugly divorce, Maggie becomes an evil caricature, yelling at her wide-eyed husband, a guy who may have spent a bit too long nurturing an artistic dream that doesn’t feed the family but one that we’re clearly supposed to like. And, of course, Maggie doesn’t just file for divorce, she petitions for full custody of their daughter Jenny ( Violet McGraw ) mostly because she's cruel, and she gets the backing of her rich father Paul ( Brian Cox , who almost looks like he knows he's above this whole affair). As Maggie is tearing Jeff down again on the phone, she walks into an intersection and gets demolished by a speeding car. The final words of this vicious woman are “Because she is mine .”

Almost immediately, strange things start to happen around Jeff and Jenny that make it clear that Maggie’s final words extend into the afterlife. Again, the basic starting ground for this movie is “What if my ex-wife kept trying to ruin my life after she died?” Jenny and Jeff starts seeing puppet-like creatures inspired by Jeff’s art for something called the Grizzly Kin (think early Tim Burton drawings). Bell can’t stop himself from cheap horror tricks like jump scares and even an actual double dream sequence, which I’m pretty sure was outlawed in 2003. Worst of all, the scares in “Separation,” other than the possible exception of the first time Jeff sees a crab-walking puppet man (although he barely responds), aren’t scary. It doesn’t even have the surreal funhouse aesthetic that this project needed from inception.

In part, that’s because it’s barely trying. At the 50-minute mark, there’s been essentially one scare scene, and a ton of dull domestic drama. I almost started to long for the kookiness of “ The Boy ” movies just to break the tedium. And then there’s a panic attack sequence during a park puppet show that's also the stunningly incompetent centerpiece of the entire film. A red palette washes the screen as a bubble pops in slow-motion and it’s like a parody of a bad horror movie. If the word “PUPPETS!” flashed across the screen, it wouldn’t be out of place. Although I worry that I’m making this all sound more fun than it actually is. It’s really not. It’s stultifying in its dullness.

Solid actors on “Homeland” and “Succession,” respectively, Friend and Cox get lost in the poor writing and filmmaking here. The latter is a mere plot device and sticks around just to be a part of the final-act stupidity. The former was under-directed so much so that even he looks bored at times. There are no believable characters, no rising tension, and no scares in this “ Insidious ” meets “ Kramer vs. Kramer .” Just so many questions as to how it happened.

In theaters today .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

Sheila O'Malley

Family Portrait

Hundreds of Beavers

Matt zoller seitz.

It Ends with Us

Marya e. gates.

Film Credits

Separation (2021)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief drug use.

107 minutes

Rupert Friend as Jeff

Madeline Brewer as Samantha

Violet McGraw as Jenny

Mamie Gummer as Maggie

Brian Cox as Rivers

Troy James as Nerezza

Simon Quarterman as Alan

William Brent Bell
Nick Amadeus

Cinematographer

Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Brian Berdan
Brett Detar

Latest blog posts

The Box Office is Everything: In Praise of the Window at the Front of the Theater

The Fairy Tale Shoes: Interview With the Cast and Crew of Cuckoo

On the Trail: India Donaldson on Good One

The Texture of Night: How Collateral Revolutionized Movies

an image, when javascript is unavailable

‘Separation’ Review: A Scattershot and Oft-Misogynistic Thriller

A widower and his daughter are haunted by an evil maternal spirit in director William Brent Bell’s clunky horror movie.

By Nick Schager

Nick Schager

Film Critic

‘Big Gold Brick’ Review: Andy Garcia and Emory Cohen Clash in Leadenly Surrealistic Comedy 2 years ago
‘The Sky Is Everywhere’ Review: An Affectation-Overloaded YA Romance 3 years ago
‘The Tiger Rising’ Review: A Beastly Children’s Homily 3 years ago

Arriving on the heels of his “The Boy” and “Brahms: The Boy II,” William Brent Bell ’s “Separation” reconfirms the director’s belief that nothing is scarier than creepy killer dolls. His latest, alas, fails to successfully prove that case, and worse, its story about a recently widowed single father struggling with supernatural phenomena is a dull and misogynistic affair that imagines multiple types of women as malevolent fiends who terrorize supposedly sympathetic men. The outlook is dim for this fright-free thriller when it debuts in theaters on April 30.

Jeff (Rupert Friend) is a cartoonist whose former hit, The Grisly Kin, is now firmly in the rearview mirror, even if he refuses to accept that and clings to his artistic integrity like a crutch while his wife (and former creative partner) Maggie ( Mamie Gummer ) assumes responsibility for financially supporting them and their daughter Jenny (Violet McGraw). Given Jeff’s deadbeat narcissism — as well as his too-close-for-comfort relationship with doting nanny Samantha (Madeline Brewer) — Maggie naturally decides to leave Jeff and file for sole custody of Jenny, all with the backing of her father Paul ( Brian Cox ). That plan is not to be, however, since before she can abscond to Seattle with Jenny, Maggie is run over in a fatal hit-and-run, thus leaving the kid in Jeff’s care, much to Paul’s chagrin.

Popular on Variety

Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun’s script is awash in clichéd contrivances, such that Jeff conveniently runs into a former acquaintance (Eric T. Miller) who just so happens to be a comics mogul, gets a job working for his pal, and then stumbles into a gig doing art for a writer (Simon Quarterman) whose new series is about “darkness” — and thus the perfect vehicle for Jeff’s sketches of the bogeywoman he sees around his brownstone. Quarterman’s author is also a fount of handy exposition about the afterlife and angry spirits, which allows the film to clue audiences into the fact that Maggie is a vengeful demon trapped in purgatory because she just can’t stand to let Jenny go — and, more specifically, to give her over to Jeff. As far as unflattering portraits of protective mothers go, this is rather ugly, and eventual revelations about Maggie’s death only exacerbate the proceedings’ noxious representation of women, which is contrasted by its compassionate attitude toward the selfish and parentally incompetent Jeff.

Despite having characters incessantly explain key plot points, “Separation” lacks basic logic. For example, if it’s Maggie who’s tormenting everyone, why does one of Jeff’s other fictional characters repeatedly come to back-breaking life (in a manner derivative of “The Exorcist”)? It also lacks formal polish, with red-drenched CGI sequences of New York City streets and swaying trees looking as chintzy and graceless as they are nonsensical.

The cast has nothing to work with here, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that every one of their reactions — especially from an unconvincing Friend — seem only half as freaked-out as the circumstances warrant, further contributing to the sense that no one knows quite what’s going on. Cox, at least, comprehends the nature of this work-for-hire gig, dispensing one-note bluster in the same nice suits, and with the same neatly trimmed goatee, that define his more acclaimed domineering Manhattan paterfamilias: Logan Roy on “ Succession .”

Reviewed online, Stamford, Conn., April 28, 2021. Rated R. Running time: 107 MIN.

Production: An Open Road Films, Briarcliff Entertainment release of a Rainmaker Films, Yale Prods., The Machine Room production, in association with Post Film. Producers: William Brent Bell, Clay Pecorin, Jesse Korman, Russ Posternak, Jordan Beckerman, Jordan Yale Levine. Executive producers: James Masciello, Matthew Sidari, Tom Ortenberg, Rupert Friend, Jane Oster Sinisi, Seth Posternak, Russell Geyser, Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun. Co-producer: Jon Keeyes.
Crew: Director: William Brent Bell. Screenplay: Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun. Camera: Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Rik Zang. Editors: Brian Berdan, Eric L. Beason. Music: Brett Detar.
With: Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer, Violet McGraw, Eric T. Miller, Simon Quarterman.

More from Variety

‘the penguin’ trailer: colin farrell shoots, stabs and dumps bodies to control gotham’s crime streets, take-two earnings emblematic of endless risk-taking in gaming biz, ‘the batman’ spinoff shows on gotham pd and arkham got dropped after hbo execs wanted to ‘lean harder into marquee characters,’ says matt reeves, paramount+ biggest challenge: boosting subscriber engagement, more from our brands, tyler, the creator blasts ‘meme’ musicians: ‘you taking up space’, ellen degeneres sells her $96 million socal compound to a billionaire mining magnate, paris olympics average 30.7m viewers on nbcu, biggest since 1994, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, matt bomer and nathan lane to star in golden girls-esque hulu pilot from ryan murphy and will & grace eps.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

77% Cuckoo Link to Cuckoo
97% Dìdi Link to Dìdi
97% Good One Link to Good One

New TV Tonight

95% Industry: Season 3
-- Emily in Paris: Season 4
96% Bad Monkey: Season 1
-- Bel-Air: Season 3
-- Rick and Morty: The Anime: Season 1
100% Solar Opposites: Season 5
-- SEAL Team: Season 7
-- RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars: Season 1
-- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures: Season 2
-- Worst Ex Ever: Season 1

Separation Reviews

The characters are flat, the themes shallow, and the emotional catharsis is stilted in every scene.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Jun 5, 2022

'Separation' is a good movie ... to stay away from.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jul 8, 2021

The only separation that exists here is the vast one between good and bad filmmaking, and Separation falls decidedly on the side of the latter.

Full Review | Jun 6, 2021

Separation could have either gone for a nuanced family drama that happened to have ghosts or it could've been an over the top haunted house film with a plethora of unique ghouls and wild twist, but instead it shoots for the middle.

Full Review | May 12, 2021

Promising horror pic that can't deliver the goods.

Full Review | Original Score: C+ | May 7, 2021

Suffers from a senseless storyline and a set of unlikable characters with no redeeming qualities. The special effects are quite menacing but wasted as the film fails to connect with the audience.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 7, 2021

Bell has the unfortunate ability to set the stage for a decent horror story without ever really following through.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 5, 2021

This is not just a bad horror movie, it is a bad movie overall. Everyone involved her deserved better than this and so do you. Steer clear.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | May 4, 2021

Unfortunately, this first narrative features from scribes Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun gluts itself on phantom red herrings atop the shoulders of a formidably insipid protagonist in Rupert Friend.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | May 3, 2021

A pale pastiche of better movies, Separation might not be good, but its marionette mayhem emerges as curiously entertaining.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 3, 2021

The basic nature of Separation's supernatural evil isn't even clear in one seriously confused movie.

Full Review | May 3, 2021

Bell knows how to pull dread out of the air, and he orchestrates the oppressive atmosphere and the periodic scares with masterful precision.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 1, 2021

It balances the typical ghost story plot with enough reality that people do face.

A solid cast and some stylish visual flourishes can't save a film that jettisons its more high-minded ambitions for some formulaic child-in-peril nonsense.

Full Review | May 1, 2021

This "imaginary friend" horror movie takes its time and tries hard to focus on relationships and emotions, but the characters still feel somehow stiff and flat, as if they were only half-finished.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 1, 2021

There's only one proper way to settle with the film: split from it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/10 | Apr 30, 2021

There are no believable characters, no rising tension, and no scares in this Insidious meets Kramer vs. Kramer.

Full Review | Original Score: 0/4 | Apr 30, 2021

Thanks to computer imagery that betrays its digital origins, the things that go bump in the night are more irritating than frightening.

Full Review | Original Score: 74/100 | Apr 30, 2021

[A] dull and misogynistic affair that imagines multiple types of women as malevolent fiends who terrorize supposedly sympathetic men.

Full Review | Apr 30, 2021

A lazy rehash of cliches that has been assembled in such a haphazard and disinterested manner that it suggests nothing but contempt for anyone foolish enough to actually spend a few bucks and two precious hours on it.

Full Review | Apr 29, 2021

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

Movie Review – Separation (2021)

April 29, 2021 by Robert Kojder

Separation , 2021.

Directed by William Brent Bell. Starring Rupert Friend, Madeleine Brewer, Brian Cox, Violet McGraw, Troy James, Simon Quarterman, and Mamie Gummer.

A young girl finds solace in her artist father and the ghost of her dead mother.

In a verbally explosive argument during 2019’s Marriage Story that has been memed to death, Adam Driver lost all cool and told his wife, played by Scarlett Johansson, that he wished she would get hit by a car. Cue William Brent Bell’s Separation (the director has been a regular on the horror scene as of late with his The Boy series and infamous stinker The Devil Inside, which told viewers to go to a website for the ending) where the custody battle is cut short by a hit-and-run on the mother.

In the context of a fright feature, the filmmakers can establish some intriguing dynamics with that setup. And for the first 30 or so minutes, Separation does appear to be working and focused on the grieving characters. However, the script from debut feature writers Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun seems to be more concerned with building to a so telegraphed twist; it would be a spoiler to describe certain characters in greater detail. You will be questioning yourself if it’s really that obvious, and yes, it’s really that obvious.

Nevertheless, Rupert Friend is Jeff, an unemployed graphic novel artist specializing in all things spooky, that has created a cast of creepy-looking puppets dubbed The Grisly Kin. Furthermore, they are such a staple of his own life that they have become ‘friends’ with his daughter Jenny (Violet McGraw). Although he’s not working (and this is one of the more confounding parts of the plot set up), Jenny does have a babysitter named Samantha (Madeline Brewer), who consistently encourages Jeff to get back into the art world. Then there’s the household’s matriarch, Maggie (Mamie Gummer), who disapproves of Jeff’s meandering lifestyle and never gets to see Jenny because she’s always working late into the night.

The verbal arguments become more frequent, leading to a custody battle in court with Maggie’s father, Rivers (Brian Cox), offering support. That is until the aforementioned hit-and-run occurs. Naturally, this changes everything around the home. Jenny is now speaking like a baby sometimes, there’s a ghost setting family portrait paintings on fire tarnishing Jeff’s face, and opportunity arises as, now a single parent, Jeff swallows his pride and takes on an inking job. Jenny also appears to be communicating with whatever supernatural force is present whereas the puppets also have come to life.

This is not really a spoiler, given that someone has to be going out of their way not to pay attention, but the ghost is Maggie. Exploring a spirit conflicted and existing between the two realms wanting to care for her daughter while simultaneously severely agitated at the circumstances of her death is a solid characterization to ensure both warmth and terror. Meanwhile, Rivers is a cartoonish villain picking up where his daughter left off, now trying to get custody for himself and suspicious that Jeff had something to do with her death. There is also a separate entity with no connection to anything going on, presumably serving as sequel bait if the ending credits are anything to go off of. In itself, it’s a bold move to show such confidence that any of this material is deserving of a follow-up.

Anyway, Jeff goes through the usual ghost story emotions; he Googles things on the Internet about spirits, he’s unbelievably ignorant to the fact that his wife is communicating with his daughter from the afterlife (he even watches some of these interactions from the monitor), and never once raises an eyebrow once it becomes clear who murdered his wife. Let’s say it’s also regressively hysterical work that I have no idea why some performers would even sign on to other than for a paycheck. It’s also never once scary, meaning Separation fails at both scares and drama.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Matrix at 25: The Quintessential Sci-Fi Actioner of the Modern Age

Forgotten 90s Horror Movies You Have To See

Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones

Essential Gothic Horror Movies To Scare You Senseless

The Most Shocking Movies of the 1970s

The Films Quentin Tarantino Wrote But Didn’t Direct

Three Recent and Wildly Overrated Sequels

Essential Forgotten Films Well Worth Seeking Out

The Essential Modern Conspiracy Thriller Movies

10 Essential Home Invasion Horror Movies

Comic Books
Video Games
Toys & Collectibles
Articles and Opinions
About Flickering Myth
Write for Flickering Myth
Advertise on Flickering Myth
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

Separation (2021)

Stream & Watch Separation

Trailers & Clips

Cast & Crew

Movie Details

Similar movies.

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Latest trailers.

'Only Murders in the Building' Season 4 Trailer

WhichFilm | Film Reviews | Audience Film Reviews

Separation (2021)

Create your own review

If you like horrors with a few jump scares and moments where you cover your eyes with a cushion then you'll like it.

Half decent horror film. Watchable once.

If you have your teen mates round you'll enjoy a few scares in this

B-Side horror. not much to see here.

Better than you think it would be and some reviews on this are a bit harsh. It is worth a watch on streaming definitely.

Standard horror. Watch once and move on.

Not bad but won't set the World alight.

Quite dull. Not great.

Poor girl! Not bad to watch at all. Standard ghost horror

half decent horror film that teens will likely enjoy.

I thought this was okay. Sad with scary moments here and there.

Not the best horror ever but some scary bits

Quite poor tbh. I understand the difficulty with regards to the daughter but was created from a standard horror template and did little to make me think.

A sad story which has some scary moments and makes sense. Just too uniformed for me as a horror.

Have you seen these?

Home » ‘Separation’ review: Let go of it for a better life

‘Separation’ review: Let go of it for a better life

Although his face is as regal as can be, Jeff (Rupert Friend) is not the king of the brownstone in Separation , the newest horror film from William Brent Bell. No longer a successful comic book artist, and from there a less ideal husband for queen Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and a father for princess Jenny (Violet McGraw best known for The Haunting of Hill House ), Jeff is losing control of his life. And if the realities of divorce won’t get him, the supernatural forces awakened after Maggie’s sudden death will.

Not the best plot summary for Separation , but it’s certainly more correct than those emphasizing Jenny currently in circulation. While she may be the first character we meet and is the heart of the plot, Dad is instead the one the film spends most of its time shadowing. Not a major wrinkle as Jeff’s life has enough drama to fill the film’s 107 minutes—battling with Maggie for custody of Jenny, being present for Jenny after Maggie’s gone, proving to Maggie’s dad (Brian Cox) he’s artistic yet not a nincompoop, setting up boundaries with the babysitter (Madeline Brewer), inking projects with colleagues (Eric Troy Miller and Simon Quarterman), and facing whatever is in the shadows—but the perspective is no doubt more adult than teased. Guaranteed, even, going by the opening credits with grisly Dr. Seuss-esque (Jeff himself made the reference) illustrations from Zsombor Huszka and Brett Detar’s theme full of creepy-twinkly notes.

But in combining The Ring meets Mama and switching up the perspective to papa, Separation buckles. Writers Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun don’t know whether this should be a domestic drama with scares or a horror with familial drama. Or they do, and it’s Bell who is confused—where we need character interactions to be impactful he devotes all his efforts on the creepy sequences. And vice versa. Then again, except for one moment where “Twisty” Troy James gets to flaunt his exceptional flexibility, the rest of the chill-inducers range from tame to anticlimactic with questionable editing from Brian Berdan or staging free of necessary build-up that would further defang the over-designed main horror figure.

One can also blame both parties. Neither the Amadeus-Braun duo or Bell seems to want to dress up the film’s lesser gears just for a little bit, just so Quarterman’s character—an expert of darkness who hoards mystical Asian decor—can be more than a walking exposition device. Or at least a tolerable one. Key characters also learn new traits at the pace of the flip to the next page of the script. Don’t be surprised when you find Jeff too stoic to the proceedings—Friend simply wasn’t given enough actorly pasture to interact with. There’s even less for McGraw, so why the Jenny-centric writings for the promos again?

Even the visual department of Separation can’t be relied on. This is a baffling sentence to write when The Haunting ’s Karl Walter Lindenlaub is the d.p. and Monsterland ’s Ola Maslik designs the sets, but how could they give the background of those Jeff’s train-commuting scenes a pass? The film would go to lengths where time and space become distorted or soaked in demonic red, yet they don’t function in any realm beyond hollow exercises in style. That on top of the overall emptiness, stemming from both the themes and in the way they are expressed, means there’s only one proper way to settle with the film: split from it.

A lover of films, games, and food hailing from a land across the Atlantic. You bet I can make butt-kicking ca phe sua da. Clueless at talking dirty, adequate at talking movies. Could *always* use more friends on Twitter and Facebook.

'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' review: An imaginative milestone for animation

Some rap songs: polo perks, jordaine grant, gao the arsonist, and more.

8 TV-inspired Halloween costumes to wear this spooky season

‘Stargirl’ 3×08 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two” explores The Shade’s regrets in the Shadowlands

“The Car” review: The most refined album Arctic Monkeys have ever released.

Album Review: Maajo – ‘Water of Life’

‘Pantheon’ series premiere review: The future is bright in the animated science fiction drama

CULTURE MIX

Where Lifestyle Cultures Blend

Review: ‘Separation’ (2021), starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer and Violet McGraw

Arts and Entertainment

Brian Cox , Eric T. Miller , horror , Linda Powell , Madeline Brewer , Mamie Gummer , movies , reviews , Rupert Friend , Separation , Simon Quarterman , Violet McGraw , William Brent Bell

April 27, 2021

by Carla Hay

“Separation” (2021)

Directed by William Brent Bell

Culture Representation: Taking place in New York City, the horror film “Separation” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans and Latinos) representing the middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A recent widower and his 8-year-old daughter experience unexplained and spooky things in their home .

Culture Audience: “Separation” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching empty-headed horror movies that are dreadfully boring and don’t even bother to explain why the horror is happening in the story.

Anyone who watches the horror flick “Separation” will be left with lots of questions that start with the word “why.” Why was the family in this movie being haunted? Why bother introducing scary characters in the story and not explain their origins? Why was this movie even made? Don’t expect any answers to these questions if you decide to waste your time watching this garbage.

Yes, it’s a stupid haunted house movie. And yes, there’s absolutely nothing original or clever about it. But what makes “Separation” so hard to take is that it drags with such repetitious monotony with no plot development to explain why this haunting is taking place. Any moments that are meant to be scary are few and far in between and end up repeating themselves with the same scenarios. This movie’s idea of making a scene terrifying is changing the cinematography to crimson red.

Directed by William Brent Bell, “Separation” has a cast of talented actors whose skills are squandered in this odiously bad movie, which was sloppily written by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun. The movie’s opening scene takes place in a New York City brownstone townhome, where 8-year-old Jenny Vahn (played by Violet McGraw) is doing what a lot of 8-year-old girls do: play with dolls. However, Jenny’s dolls are creepy-looking horror dolls and she’s sitting in the middle of a circle of lighted candles. Is she some type of child witch?

While Jenny is playing with the dolls, she speaks to a witch doll that she has named Scarlet. Jenny says, “We must be quiet, or else we’ll scare her away.” Who is this female that shouldn’t be scared away? Later in the movie, Jenny refers to someone named Baby, which sounds like an imaginary friend. Don’t expect the movie to explain that either.

While Jenny is playing with her dolls in the attic that looks more like a witch’s lair than an innocent child’s playroom, her father Jeff Vahn (played by Rupert Friend) is downstairs in a study room, hanging out with the family babysitter Samantha Nally (played by Madeline Brewer), who is in her 20s. Jeff is a comic book illustrator who’s showing Samantha his main claim to fame: a horror comic book series called “The Grisly Kin,” featuring a group of characters that look like they’re from a twisted fairy tale. Samantha is also a comic book enthusiast, and she gushes to Jeff about how talented she thinks he is.

“The Grisly Kin” was such a hit that the main characters were made into stuffed doll toys, which are on display in the Vahn home. Jenny is seen playing with these dolls throughout the movie. At one point in his career, Jeff was in talks to make “The Grisly Kin” into a TV pilot, but the deal never happened because he and the TV executives had “creative differences.”

For the past two years, Jeff has been unemployed, while his prickly wife Maggie (played by Mamie Gummer) has been the family’s breadwinner. Maggie works for the law firm of her domineering and stern father Paul Rivers (played by Brian Cox), and she tells Jeff in an argument that she hates it because she wouldn’t have to work there if Jeff had a job. Jeff’s long unemployment has caused a lot of tension in Jeff and Maggie’s marriage, which viewers find out is deteriorating to the point of no return, much like this movie’s plot.

While Samantha is in awe of Jeff, Maggie has contempt for Jeff. At one point, Maggie snarls at Jeff: “You’re not special. You’re just unemployed.” Maggie is also seen arriving home, looking at the mail and becoming irritated when she sees that the couple’s electricity bill hasn’t been paid and they’ve received a final notice. Apparently, Jeff has shirked his responsibility for paying the bill, so Maggie has another reason to be annoyed with him.

Meanwhile, in the attic, Jenny is startled by a bird at the window. She falls down and hits her head and gets an injury on her forehead that causes bleeding. When Maggie comes home and finds out, she’s furious with Samantha and Jeff for leaving Jenny alone in the attic. Maggie is so angry that she won’t let Jeff go with her when she takes Jenny to the hospital.

And then, the next thing you know, Maggie has filed for divorce. Maggie wants full custody of Jenny, while Jeff is contesting it and wants joint custody. In a divorce mediation, Maggie’s father Rivers (Jeff is the only one in the story who calls him Paul) has taken it upon himself to be Maggie’s attorney. (Can you say conflict of interest?) In the mediation meeting, Rivers immediately belittles Jeff as an unfit parent.

Maggie seems to have the upper hand because she makes more money than Jeff, and she’s using Jenny’s accident as proof that Jeff can be a flaky father. Maggie and her father offer Jeff a large settlement in exchange for Maggie getting full custody of Jenny, but Jeff hesitates to sign the agreement. Jeff’s lawyer Janet Marion (played by Linda Powell) advises him to take the settlement because if the custody battle goes to trial, Jeff will most likely lose.

While they are embroiled in this custody battle, Jeff and Maggie are still living together (because he has no other place to live) but they take care of Jenny separately. One day, Jeff and Jenny are at a coffee shop, where Jeff has agreed to meet Maggie so that she can pick up Jenny to spend some mother-daughter time with Jenny. While waiting for Maggie at the coffee shop, Jeff is seen and happily greeted by one of his former classmates from college.

The former classmate’s name is Connor Gibbons (played by Eric T. Miller), who tells Jeff that he started his own comic book company, which was sold to a larger company that let Connor stay as the leader. Jeff tells Connor about his impending divorce and custody battle, and Connor offers Jeff possible employment at his company.

Jeff asks if Connor would be interested in reviving “The Grisly Kin,” but Connor adamantly says no. The best he can offer Jeff is a lowly entry-level job as an inker. Jeff doesn’t get too far in the conversation with Connor when Maggie calls Jeff. There was some miscommunication and Maggie went to the wrong coffee shop. Naturally, she blames Jeff for the mixup.

During this phone conversation, Maggie tells Jeff that her father has assigned her to oversee a project in Seattle, so she plans to move there with Jenny. Jeff is naturally upset by this news. He tells Maggie that he was ready to agree to the divorce settlement and agree to give Maggie full custody of Jenny, but now that Maggie plans to move to Seattle, he tells Maggie that he might fight for custody after all.

Is this a divorce drama or a horror movie? While they’re in the middle of this heated phone conversation, Maggie has been walking on some city streets. And then, she suddenly gets hit and killed by a SUV, which speeds off without stopping. The hit-and-run is so sudden, that it’s probably the only thing that comes close to being a jump scare in the movie.

The next scene is of Maggie’s wake at Jeff’s home, where Rivers bitterly snipes to Jeff that Jeff is lucky that Maggie didn’t have time to change her will during the divorce proceedings. Rivers then informs Jeff that he’s going to file for custody of Jenny. Jeff doesn’t want to argue about it during the wake, but he makes it clear that he’s going to put up a fight in this custody battle with Rivers.

At the wake, Jenny exhibits some strange behavior, when she takes ketchup-covered French fries and starts flinging the ketchup on a wall. Then, she smears her hands all over the ketchup. It’s obviously meant to look like blood smears.

Jenny then says, “Baby is painting like Daddy.” Jeff tells Jenny to stop what she’s doing. Jenny then yells at Jeff: “I hate you! I want my mommy back!” And then, she runs off into another room.

Meanwhile, a family portrait of Jeff, Maggie and Jenny, which is on display on a mantlepiece in the living room, catches on fire from some lighted candles. But the fire is quickly put out by Samantha, who suddenly appears with a fire extinguisher, as if it’s an everyday item around the house. Yes, it’s that kind of movie.

“Separation” continues its downward slide into nonsense from there. Jeff ends up taking a job at Connor’s company and agrees to be an inker, even though Jeff is over-qualified for it. At the company, Jeff meets an eccentric British writer named Alan Ross (played by Simon Quarterman), who’s working on a horror comic book and likes to utter things such as, “This is darkness … Draw me the stuff of nightmares.”

Meanwhile, Jeff and Jenny start having nightmares where they see either a giant witch come to life or a ghoulish clown dressed in a black-and-white striped prisoner’s outfit. The witch doesn’t do much except crook her gnarly fingers. The clown can do crazy contortions and do things like run backwards on all fours. It’s very reminiscent of the Backwards Man character in the 2020 horror film “Black Box.” Whenever “Separation” can’t think of a creative way to resolve some issues, it just has a character pass out or wake up in a scene, as if that person just had a nightmare.

Jeff starts to have random hallucinations that you know are coming because everything on screen suddenly turns crimson red. He has these hallucinations in his home, on the subway and at work. Jenny has a sketch book that’s filling up with horror illustrations that she swears she didn’t draw. The movie tries to make it look like the ghost of Maggie could be haunting this family, but it’s an absurd red herring because the beginning of the movie already showed that something spooky was going on in the house before Maggie died.

Jeff’s co-worker Alan is a big believer in the supernatural, so Jeff confides in him one day about all the nightmarish things that he’s been experiencing. Alan thinks that the ghost of Maggie is behind these unexplainable nightmares and hallucinations. And so, Alan gives Jeff the psychedelic drug ayahuasca to take home with him so that Jeff can “punch a hole in reality and make peace with Maggie.”

Does Jeff take the ayahuasca? Of course he does. Because in a silly movie like this, the first thing you want to do to figure out what you’re hallucinating is take a drug that makes you hallucinate even more. There are parts of this movie that are so bad, they’re really laughable. “Separation” is also the type of dreck where there’s a scene of people falling out of the townhome’s attic through a glass window, and they end up on the sidewalk with no injuries.

“Separation” director Bell also directed the 2016 horror flick “The Boy” and its 2020 sequel “Brahms: The Boy II,” which were both awful and boring movies about a family haunted by evil spirits, with a creepy doll as part of the story. At least with “The Boy” and “Brahms: The Boy II,” there was an origin story that clearly explained why this doll was the root of the horror happening in the movie. In “Separation,” the dolls and any horror entities that appear in the movie have no explanation for why they’re haunting this family.

Most of the cast members try to do their best to be credible in their poorly written roles, but it’s all for nothing because “Separation” is such an empty and pointless film in almost every way. Most of Friend’s acting in “Separation” consists of looking confused or awkward. Brewer is the only cast member who hams it up during certain scenes in such an over-the-top way that it’s unintentionally comedic.

Just when viewers might think “Separation” can’t get any worse, the movie’s last 15 minutes prove that this rubbish was incapable of being salvaged. The mid-credits scene is also completely useless. “Separation” sinks further into a quagmire of idiocy until there’s nothing left but the stench of fried brain cells that had to endure the 107 minutes it takes to watch this time-wasting trash until the bitter end.

Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment will release “Separation” in U.S. cinemas on April 30, 2021.

GAMES, BRRRAAAINS & A HEAD-BANGING LIFE

Horror Movie Review: Separation (2021)

A supernatural horror film with a twist, Separation is part-divorce drama, part horror and held together by strong performances by its leads. Putting it bluntly, if you’re hoping for a horror with some chills and thrills, this isn’t going to deliver on that. However, if you’re after a horror that makes you care about the characters involved, then Separation is well worth checking out.

Directed by William Brent Bell, from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun. Separation stars Rupert Friend as Jeff. A comic book artist who made it big years before with some unique characters called the ‘Grisly Kin’ and has been struggling to follow-up ever since.

This has driven a wedge between him and his wife, Maggie (Mamie Gummer) resulting in them constantly arguing. Much to the dismay of their eight-year-old daughter, Jenny (Violet McGraw) who spends most her time with her puppets of the Grisly Kin. Her friends, as she likes to call them.

Eventually, the couple’s issues become irresolvable and they file for divorce but Maggie wants full custody of their daughter. Jeff is heartbroken but can’t compete with Maggie’s money so looks to lose Jenny completely. That is until Maggie is killed in a hit & run.

Dealing with the tragedy, Jeff and Jenny attempt to move forward but the latter begins to regress to her younger self. Not only that, she claims to be visited by a monster at night and the puppets are coming to life. Of course, Jeff and those around him, just think its her way of coping with the loss of her mother. That is until he starts to experience supernatural events which has him questioning his sanity and if he is up to the task of caring for his young daughter after all.

There’s a lot about Separation that will feel all too familiar to those who have seen their fair share of supernatural horror over the years. There is no denying that the lack of originality in regards to the spooky business is a serious problem for this movie. That, and how little actually manages to create a chill. This is not a scary movie unfortunately, even if some of the visuals are well done.

The problem lies with the over-use of supernatural elements and how the characters react. The former has the spooks occurring at such a frequency, it loses all impact come the end. Whereas the latter has characters see something obviously supernatural, yet then describe it to someone else as a ‘feeling’. It’s quite maddening at times.

These are serious flaws but Separation makes up for some of these issues by delivering a solidly-told story with some mystery. It’s not perfect, it has some holes and a few of the beats, you can see coming a mile away, but it’s still enjoyable enough.

What really makes Separation stand out from the horror pack though, is its characters. Mainly, Jeff and Jenny. Initially quite basic, a struggling artist and introverted child is hardly unique, however it’s their relationship that will win many over. They are a convincing father/daughter pairing and often, the dramatic moments, are the best parts of Separation. Which is an odd thing to say about a horror movie.

…and thus, there is the big problem with Separation. It’s supposed to be a horror movie but when the best part of it is the family drama, things have gone a bit wrong. Is it a classic? Absolutely not, but neither is it a terrible movie either. This one sits squarely in the middle.

Owner/Administrator/Editor/Writer/Interviewer/YouTuber - you name it, I do it. I love gaming, horror movies, and all forms of heavy metal and rock. I'm also a Discworld super-fan and love talking all things Terry Pratchett. Do you wanna party? It's party time!

Separation (2021)

The Final Score - 6/10 6/10

User Review

Separation Movie

Who's Involved:

Brian Cox, Rupert Friend, Madeline Brewer, William Brent Bell, Josh Braun, Violet McGraw, Jesse Korman, Mamie Gummer, Clay Pecorin, Jordan Beckerman, Jordan Yale Levine, Russ Posternak, Nick Amadeus, William Brent

Release Date:

Friday, April 30, 2021 Limited

Plot: What's the story about?

8-year-old Jenny (Violet McGraw) is constantly caught in the middle of the feuding between her lawyer mother Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and artist father Jeff (Rupert Friend). She leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by puppets called “Grisly Kin”, which are based on the works of her father. When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie’s father (Brian Cox) sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer) tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them. When the motives of the ghoulish creatures become clear, the lives of everyone are put very much in jeopardy.

2.20 / 5 stars ( 5 users)

Poll: Will you see Separation?

Who stars in Separation: Cast List

Rupert Friend

Jurassic World 4, Companion

Violet McGraw

M3GAN, M3GAN 2.0

Mamie Gummer

The Lifeguard, Ricki and the Flash

Madeline Brewer

Space Oddity, Anniversary

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Red

Who's making Separation: Crew List

A look at the Separation behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

William Brent

Screenwriters

Nick Amadeus Josh Braun

Production Companies

Watch separation trailers & videos.

Official Trailer

Production: what we know about separation, filming timeline.

2021 - March : The film was set to Completed status.

Separation Release Date: When was the film released?

Separation was a Limited release in 2021 on Friday, April 30, 2021 . There were 11 other movies released on the same date, including Triumph , The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Percy Vs Goliath . As a Limited release, Separation will only be shown in select movie theaters across major markets. Please check Fandango and Atom Tickets to see if the film is playing in your area.

Q&A Asked about Separation

Seen the movie? Rate It!

Follow the Updates

Sun., Mar. 28, 2021
added Official Trailer to movie trailers & videos
set the MPAA rating to R
added a link from separationmovie.com
added William Brent Bell as producer to movie credits
added Clay Pecorin as producer to movie credits
added Jesse Korman as producer to movie credits
added Russ Posternak as producer to movie credits
added Jordan Beckerman as producer to movie credits
added Jordan Yale Levine as producer to movie credits
added a running time of 107 minutes

Looking for more information on Separation?

Official movie site + social media links.

Official Site

Across the Web

Get Tickets + Showtimes
Get Digital Copy
Buy on Amazon
More Info on IMDb

Get the latest on upcoming movies before everyone else!

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘separation’: film review.

Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer and Mamie Gummer star in William Brent Bell's horror film about a little girl whose demonic puppets seem to come to life.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

Share on Facebook
Share to Flipboard
Send an Email
Show additional share options
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Whats App
Print the Article
Post a Comment

A muddled execution undercuts laudable ambitions in the latest effort from director William Brent Bell, who previously demonstrated his talent for turning low-budget horror films into major commercial hits with such movies as The Devil Inside and The Boy . The filmmaker mines deeper emotional terrain than usual with Separation , which attempts to inject scares into a Kramer vs. Kramer -inspired scenario. But the film squanders its intriguing setup and terrific performances by devolving into familiar genre tropes. Not that it will prevent horror-starved audiences from flocking to see it on the big screen thanks to the further lifting of pandemic restrictions.

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Talaria media ramps up slate with female-led wrestling feature, navy seal comedy, kim kahana, stuntman who starred in ‘danger island’ and doubled for charles bronson, dies at 94, ‘frozen 3’ to hit theaters over thanksgiving in 2027, ridley scott was “hugely relieved” when first watching ‘alien: romulus,’ but gave notes that made fede álvarez “punch the door”, george clooney is “a little irritated” with quentin tarantino: “dude, f*** off”, francis ford coppola’s ‘megalopolis,’ films from pedro almodovar and max minghella join toronto film fest.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

How to Prepare Your Kids for School After a Summer of Screen Time

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

Common sense media reviewers.

Dull, familiar horror movie about divorce and death.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Movie genuinely seems to want to deal with emotion

No real role models here. Characters are likable b

Car crashes into a character, killing her; blood p

Flirting, brief kiss.

Sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch

Character takes hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca to h

Positive Messages

Movie genuinely seems to want to deal with emotions around divorce and death and all the messy, conflicting feelings that can arise among survivors, especially a young girl. It does offer a few lines about how it's OK to feel your feelings and fail and try again, but these messages aren't the movie's ultimate point.

Positive Role Models

No real role models here. Characters are likable but are just regular people going through a rough time, dealing with divorce, death, a malevolent monster.

Violence & Scariness

Car crashes into a character, killing her; blood puddle under body. Clown-faced monster, contorting and making scary clicking noises. Character(s) killed. Child in peril (monster creeps up on her, tries to coax her from high ledge, etc.). Broken glass wielded as a weapon, blood trickling from hand. Character smacked in back of head with light fixture. Monster grabs person's throat. Monster attempts to crush person with bedsheets. Character thrown down stairs. Creepy/scary imagery, artwork, puppets. Nightmare scenes. Scary noises. Fall from high place. Child has allergic reaction to food, can't breathe, needs EpiPen shot.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "butt," and "screwed up," as well as exclamatory use of "Jesus Christ" and "God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Character takes hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca to help fight monster. He drinks tea and lies on the floor among candles before going on his "trip." Objects in the room appear to melt. Characters pour whiskies but don't drink them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Separation is a horror movie about a father and daughter who are dealing with divorce and then the death of their wife/mother. After she's gone, a malevolent force arrives. A child is in peril, a character is hit by a car (blood puddle shown), a chunk of broken glass is wielded like a knife (with a bloody trickle), a character is hit in the back of the head with a light fixture, another character is thrown down stairs, and a monster grabs someone's throat and tries to crush a person with tightening bedsheets. There's a lot of creepy imagery and artwork on display, as well as nightmare scenes and scary noises. Language includes sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "a--hole," and more. There's brief flirting and kissing, and a character takes the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca to help fight the monster (he drinks it as a tea). Whiskies are poured but not consumed. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (1)
Kids say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In SEPARATION, unemployed comic book creator Jeff ( Rupert Friend ) is going through a messy divorce from Maggie ( Mamie Gummer ). Maggie wants full custody of their young daughter, Jenny (Violet McGraw), and Maggie's influential father, Rivers ( Brian Cox ), who thinks Jeff is an unfit dad, agrees. But Maggie is abruptly killed in a hit-and-run car accident, and Jeff finds himself fully in charge of Jenny. He dearly loves her, but even with help from admiring, encouraging babysitter Samantha ( Madeline Brewer ), Jeff still struggles. Things become even harder when an unseen, possibly malevolent presence in the house makes itself known.

Is It Any Good?

This "imaginary friend" horror movie takes its time and tries hard to focus on relationships and emotions, but the characters still feel somehow stiff and flat, as if they were only half-finished. Coming from the director of the passable horror movie The Boy and its awful sequel, Brahms: The Boy II , Separation feels as if it genuinely wants to delve into the emotions surrounding divorce and death, which is something that this genre usually doesn't bother with. Characters talk about their feelings, but no one ever seems to really listen. It's as if the actors are merely practicing reading their lines back and forth at one another.

Separation includes some interesting, creepy imagery via the movie's comic book art and several related puppets and sculptures, but it's still very low on scares. When the monster finally appears, looking like a scary clown, its design is all too similar to so many other monsters -- doing crab walks, twisting its head around, making clicking noises, etc. It's old hat. If that's not blah enough, the movie adds a seemingly random, last-minute twist that feels cheap and somewhat insulting, as well as one of those post-credits "buttons" that sets up a possible sequel. It's a shame that a movie that could have been an ambitious attempt to try something new ends up devolving into something so lazy and familiar.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Separation 's violence . How did it make you feel? How graphic or gory is the movie? Could the story have been told with less violence?

How scary is the movie? What's the appeal of horror movies ? Why do people sometimes like being scared?

How does the movie deal with divorce and the death of a loved one? What kinds of things do the characters say to each other that might be helpful?

What is ayahuasca, and how does it fit in with the story? Is this drug glamorized? Are there consequences for using it? Why does that matter?

Have you ever had an imaginary friend? Was your friend scary? Friendly? Why do you think so many imaginary friends are portrayed as scary in movies?

Movie Details

In theaters : April 30, 2021
On DVD or streaming : July 13, 2021
Cast : Rupert Friend , Madeline Brewer , Brian Cox
Director : William Brent Bell
Studio : Open Road Films
Genre : Horror
Topics : Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
Run time : 107 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language, some violence and brief drug use
Last updated : March 25, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

The Babadook

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

The Orphanage

Best Horror Movies

Scary movies for kids, related topics.

Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Movie - Separation - 2021

Separation (2021) انفصال

107 minutes
Release Date: 30 April 2021 (US) (more)
Genre: Horror (more)

Jenny is a young girl who leads a lonely life surrounded by her artist father's puppets. Following her mother's death, Jenny's life takes an unexpected turn as her maternal grandfather tries to get ...Read more custody of her, while the puppets come to life with evil intentions.

William Brent Bell (Director)
Josh Braun (Writer)
Nick Amadeus (Writer)
Rupert Friend
Mamie Gummer
Violet McGraw
Madeline Brewer

Watch Online

Gmhoryt Noon
2020 - Series

Simon Quarterman
Manny Perez
Chelsea Debo

Lorrie Odom
Ratnesh Dubey
Eric T. Miller

Jenny is a young girl who leads a lonely life surrounded by her artist father's puppets. Following her mother's death, Jenny's life takes an unexpected turn as her maternal ...Read more grandfather tries to get custody of her, while the puppets come to life with evil intentions.

Release Date:
US [ 30 April 2021 ]
Is this a coloured title?:
Filming Locations
United States

Buy tickets
2023 Summary
Riyadh Season 2023
Now Playing
Coming Soon
Egypt Box Office
Infographic
Video Gallery
Ramadan, Eid & Seasons
Ramadan 2024
TV series 2024
Fitr Eid Movies 2024
Riyadh Season 2024
Adha Eid Movies 2024
Egypt Cinemas
UAE Cinemas
Kuwait Cinemas
Lebanon Cinemas
Bahrain Cinemas
Qatar Cinemas
Saudi Cinemas
Oman Cinemas
Jordan Cinemas
Iraq Cinemas
About elCinema.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Privacy Policy

Reset Your Password

In Theaters: April 30, 2021

On DVD/Blu-ray: July 13, 2021

R | Horror | 1h 47m

Jenny (Violet McGraw), an eight-year-old girl, is caught up in a custody battle between her parents—high-powered lawyer Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and struggling graphic artist Jeff (Rupert Friend). Emotionally scarred by her parents' battling, the little girl leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by horrific puppets called "Grisly Kin," which are based on the works of her father.

When Maggie is killed in a hit and run, Jeff tries to step up as Jenny's only parent. But when Maggie's father (Brian Cox) sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer) tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and at first, Jenny is the only person who can see them. When the motives of the ghoulish creatures become clear, everyone is in jeopardy.

	, , Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Violet McGraw, Simon Quarterman, Manny Perez, Troy James, Jane Arden, Ann Lynn, Iain Quarrier, Terence de Marney, Joy Bang, Leslie Linder, Ann Norman, Malou Pantera, Peter Thomas
	William Brent Bell, Jack Bond
Studio:	Open Road Films
Producer(s):	William Brent Bell, Clay Pecorin, Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak, Jesse Korman
Writer(s):	Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun

Entertainment
New Hollywood Movies

Separation Movie Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Review

Separation: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

Release Date 30 April 2021
Language English
Genre Horror, Thriller
Duration 1h 47min
Cast Rupert Friend, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer, Brian Cox, Violet McGraw, Simon Quarterman
Director William Brent Bell
Writer Nick Amadeus, Josh Braun
Cinematography Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Music Brett Detar
Producer Jordan Beckerman, William Brent Bell, Jesse Korman, Jordan Yale Levine, Clay Pecorin, Russ Posternak
Production Yale Productions, RainMaker Films, The Machine Room Post Film
Certificate 16+

About Separation Movie (2021)

Separation is a story of a young girl Jenny Vahn (Violet McGraw) who finds comfort in the ghost of her dead mother Maggie Vahn (Mamie Gummer) and her artist father Jeff Vahn (Rupert Friend).

Separation Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings

Separation Movie Trailer

More movies with these actors.

Latest Hollywood Movies

Popular Stores

iPhone 16 Leaks
Apple Vision Pro
Apple iPhone 15
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G
Xiaomi 14 Pro
Oppo Find N3
Tecno Spark Go (2023)
Best Phones Under 25000
Samsung Galaxy S24 Series
Cryptocurrency
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Apple 'Scary Fast'
Housefull 5
GoPro Hero 12 Black Review
Invincible Season 2
HD Ready TV
Laptop Under 50000
Smartwatch Under 10000
Latest Mobile Phones
Compare Phones
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Google Pixel 9
Realme C63 5G
Realme 13 4G
Vivo V40 Pro
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x
MSI Stealth 18 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport A1V
Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.7
OnePlus Pad 2
Google Pixel Watch 3
Titan Celestor
Vu Vibe QLED TV
Infinix 32Y1 Plus Smart TV
Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition
Sony PlayStation 5 Slim
LG 1 Ton 5 Star Inverter Split AC (TS-Q14ENZE)
Carrier 1 Ton 3 Star Inverter Split AC (CAI12CL3R34F0)
Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL with AI Features Debut in India
Here's When Xiaomi Could Release its Flagship Tablet With an OLED Display
Pixel Watch 3 With Brighter Actua Display Launched in India Alongside Pixel Buds Pro 2
Pixel 9 Pro Fold With 8-Inch OLED Inner Display, Tensor G4 Chipset Launched in India: Price, Specifications
Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL With Tensor G4 SoC Debut in India: Price, Specifications
Files by Google Reportedly Getting Circle to Search for Images, AI Summary Feature
HMD Hyper Tipped to Come With 120Hz OLED Display and Nokia Lumia-Inspired Design
Two New Games Based on Horror Classic Halloween Currently Under Development: Report
WhatsApp Reportedly Working On Meta AI Voice Mode Feature, Could Offer Ten Different Voices
Lenovo Legion Tab With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, 2.5K Display Launched in India: Price, Specifications
Opera One Browser on iPhone Gets Big Revamp With AI Image Generation Capabilities, More
Sakana AI Introduces The AI Scientist, Claims It Can Fully Automate Scientific Discovery

Privacy Policy
Editorial Policy
Terms & Conditions
Complaint Redressal

entertainment

Abhishek Bachchan disables comments while sharing Paris Olympics 2024 videos amid separation rumours with Aishwarya Rai - WATCH

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abhishek Bachchan (@bachchan)

Abhishek Bachchan Responds to Divorce Speculation Amid Viral Fake Video: Reports

Disney’s 100th anniversary may be over, but the studio and its sister company, Pixar, still have a handful of films coming out in 2024 and beyond. Aside from films by Marvel, 20th Century Fox, and other studios owned by Disney , the release calendar for Disney Studios and Pixar Animation Studios films for this year is small thanks to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which put production on many movies on hold, and subsequently pushed the release dates for some of them back by a year or so.

With the strikes now in our rearview mirror, we rounded up all the major films from Disney and Pixar that have a firm release date and are still in the works.

Disney and Pixar Movies: Upcoming Release Dates

Upcoming disney and pixar movies.

Whether they release in theaters or on Disney+, here’s a look at the major Disney and Pixar movies coming from now through 2025 and beyond.

Moana 2 (November 27, 2024)

Mufasa: the lion king (december 20, 2024), snow white (live-action remake) (march 21, 2025), elio (june 13, 2025), tron: ares (october 10, 2025), zootopia 2 (november 26, 2025), freakier friday (2025), lilo & stitch (live-action remake) (2025), toy story 5 (june 19, 2026).

Moana (Live-Action Remake) (July 10, 2026)

Frozen 3 (November 24, 2027)

Incredibles 3 (date tbd), bambi (live-action remake) (date tbd), hercules (live-action remake) (date tbd).

Here's more on the upcoming Disney and Pixar movies that we have the most information about right now:

Not even a year after the live-action remake of Moana was announced, The Walt Disney Company announced Moana 2 out of nowhere on February 7, 2024, giving us a teaser trailer of Moana standing on the beach to blow her conch shell. It also released a first-look image of Moana, Maui, and a couple of new characters sailing by a whale shark, which appears to be one of Moana's ancestors considering how her grandmother Tala appeared as a manta ray after she passed away.

The surprise sequel's plot finds the new young chief of Motonui Island hitting the high seas of Oceania and beyond with Maui and a new crew of seafarers after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfaring ancestors. The sequel will be directed by Dave Derrick Jr., with music composed by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina. Lin-Manuel Miranda will not return with new music for the film.

As told by Rafiki to Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter, the prequel to the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King tells the story of how her grandfather Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands. The story will also reveal how Mufasa and Scar went from loving brothers to bitter enemies, while Timon and Pumbaa sprinkle in colorful commentary.

Mufasa: The Lion King will mark Kiara’s second appearance in a feature film since the direct-to-video sequel The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, despite also making an appearance in the Disney Channel/Disney Junior animated series The Lion Guard. Aaron Pierre and Kevin Harrison, Jr. will voice young Mufasa and Scar, respectively, while Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will reprise their voice roles of Pumbaa and Timon.

Which upcoming Disney or Pixar movie are you most looking forward to?

Details about the live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves are scarce, but what we do know is that Rachel Zegler will play the leading Disney Princess , Gal Gadot is cast as the Evil Queen, and Andrew Burnap will play a new character named Jonathan, replacing Prince Charming. Greta Gerwing and Erin Cressida Wilson wrote the screenplay, and Marc Webb is the director. The film was originally scheduled to release this year, but Disney pushed its release date back to March 21, 2025 due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.

The casting caused controversy among audiences because Zegler, who is part-Colombian, does not fit Snow White’s profile of having “skin as white as snow,” and because she made comments about making the character stronger than she was in the original — both issues Zegler addressed. In October 2023, Disney released a first look image of Snow White and the dwarves, who are rendered in CGI to resemble their appearances in the original film.

Elio is about an 11-year-old boy who gets abducted by aliens after they mistake him for Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. After he is beamed up to the Communiverse, an intergalactic council comprising representatives from other planets for contacting them by mistake, Elio has to form bonds with eccentric alien life forms and survive a series of formidable trials in order to hopefully get sent back home.

Elio was originally scheduled to be released on March 1, 2024, but because production of the film paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, Pixar pushed the release date back to June 13, 2025.

Tron: Ares is set to be a reboot of the Tron film franchise, not a direct sequel to Tron: Legacy. Jared Leto has been cast as the titular character Ares, a computer AI program who embarks on a journey from the digital dimension to the human world.

Tron: Ares was originally announced to be a sequel to Tron: Legacy as Tron 3 in 2010, but Disney cancelled it in 2015 following the box office failure of Tomorrowland. The film’s development restarted in 2017, but had changed directors ever since, from Garth Davis to Joachim Rønning. Production started in December 2023, and the film is slated to release in theaters October 10, 2025.

Zootopia 2 was also announced by Iger last February to be in development alongside Frozen 3 and Toy Story 5. Details about the sequel to the film about a city populated by anthropomorphic animals in climate-diverse landscapes are scarce, but they’ll be revealed at a later date.

As for what would happen in the film, a few of the actors shared some ideas. According to CinemaBlend , Ginnifer Goodwin said she would like to see a role reversal between her character Judy Hopps and Jason Bateman’s Nick Wilde, saying that because they’re now a cop team, “I would also like to see Nick [Wilde] have to be the one to convince Judy [Hopps] that the world is worth fighting for.” Bateman, on the other hand, said the plot should be about “The two of us, kicking ass out there. Cleaning up the streets. We’re a couple of new cops out there. So, bad guys, be warned.”

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are returning for this sequel to Freaky Friday, which promises to be even, well, freakier: Freakier Friday . The actors showed up onstage at D23 in August, 2024, to tout the film, which of course is the sequel to a remake of the originaly 1977 Freaky Friday starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris. The film will be released in 2025.

The live-action Lilo & Stitch remake got a first preview at Disney's D23 event in August, 2024, in the form of what the "live-action" Stitch will look like. Of course, he's still gonna be computer-generated, but he'll be appearing, persumably, opposite real actors and in real settings. Maia Kealoha plays Lilo and Zach Galifianakis also stars in an unspecified role. The film is expected sometime in 2025.

Disney CEO Bob Iger surprised Toy Story fans on February 8, 2023 with the news that Pixar is now producing Toy Story 5 . Although it seemed like Toy Story 4 wrapped up the series for good as Woody and Buzz Lightyear went their separate ways, it appears as if the story will continue. Though the news received a warm welcome by many fans of Pixar movies , others questioned the necessity of a fifth Toy Story film.

Do you think the series should have ended with Toy Story 4?

We don't have any concrete details about Toy Story 5 as far the plot is concerned. However, we do know that the movie is set to release on June 19, 2026.

See everything we know about Toy Story 5 .

Moana (Live Action Remake) (July 10, 2026)

Just like the original 2016 CGI animated film, the plot for the live-action remake of Moana will revolve around a young girl who is chosen by the ocean to reunite an ancient relic with the Polynesian goddess Te Fiti with the help of the exiled demigod named Maui. This puts her on a mission to not only save the ocean, but also save her island of Motonui, which has been afflicted with blight as a result of the volcanic demon Te Kā’s rampage.

The live-action remake for Moana was announced on April 3, 2023 , with Dwayne Johnson slated to produce the film and reprise his role of Maui, who was inspired by his grandfather Peter Maivia, a former WWE star. Auli'i Cravalho won’t reprise her role as the titular heroine; however, she’ll serve as executive producer.

Bob Iger announced that Frozen 3 was in the works on February 8, 2023, but details about the sequel have since been scarce. However, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad confirmed they will reprise their roles as Elsa and Olaf, respectively. Kristen Bell hasn’t said whether she’ll return as the plucky heroine Anna.

While story details about Frozen 3 haven’t been officially revealed, it is expected to pick up where Frozen 2 left off, with Anna becoming queen of Arendelle after Elsa abdicated the throne to become the protector of the Enchanted Forest after learning she’s the fifth spirit bridging the gap between people and magic. As for the release date, it might come out in late 2025.

See everything we know about Frozen 3 .

Yes, Incredibles 3 is happening, and series director Brad Bird is also back. Beyond that, not much more is known about the film, which was revealed at D23 in August, 2024.

The live-action remake of Bambi was confirmed to be in development in January 2020 following the success of Guy Ritchie’s take on Aladdin. The producers aim to use photorealistic CGI for the animal characters just as they did for The Lion King remake and, according to former screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer, tone down Bambi’s mother’s death to make it less traumatic for today’s kids than the original 1942 animated film. “Not to spoil the plot, but there’s a treatment of the mom dying that I think some kids, some parents these days are more sensitive about than they were in the past,” she told Collider last year. “And I think that’s one of the reasons that they haven’t shown it to their children.”

Sarah Polley, Academy Award-winning director of Women Talking, is reportedly set to direct the live-action Bambi . No one has been cast as the titular deer or any of his friends yet.

Details surrounding the live-action adaptation of Hercules , which was announced in June 2022 , have been scarce since the SAG-AFTRA strikes save for a few tidbits. The movie will be directed by Guy Ritchie, making it the second Disney live-action remake on his resume after Aladdin, and it will be produced by the studio run by Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Danny DeVito may reprise his role as the wise satyr Phil, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Joe Russo explained to Variety that they’ll use TikTok as inspiration for putting a modern spin on the Disney Renaissance classic. “Audiences today have been trained by TikTok, right? What is their expectation of what that musical looks like and feels like? That can be a lot of fun and help us push the boundaries a little bit on how you execute a modern musical,” he said.

More Upcoming Disney Movies

Although our list only includes films beind created by Disney and Pixar, the fact of the matter is that Disney owns a lot of companies. If you're looking for more upcoming films under the Disney umbrella, here's a quick look at what to expect in 2024 and beyond from Star Wars, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox.

Upcoming Star Wars Movies

A lot of the upcoming Star Wars projects are actually TV shows, but there a few upcoming movies worth noting. Unfortunately, we don't exactly have release dates for any of these just yet. There's the upcoming Taika Waititi Star Wars movie as well as the recently announced Mandalorian and Grogu film, but we don't yet know when those will happen. Check out our full list of upcoming Star Wars movies for more info.

Upcoming Marvel Movies

Marvel has had a steady stream of movies arriving year after year, but 2024 is looking a bit sparse when it comes to new films. That being said, you can expect Deadpool & Wolverine to arrive this year and even more movies to arrive in 2025. Check out our full list of upcoming Marvel movies for more info.

Upcoming 20th Century Fox Movies

20th Century Fox Studios has quite a few more movies expected to come out in 2024 compared to the rest of the entertainment companies Disney owns. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes out now, the next big film from ths studio is set to be Aliens: Romulus . You can check out this full list of 20th Century Studios movies for more info.

Disney and Pixar Movies Released in 2023

These are the major Disney and Pixar movies that were released in 2023:

Peter Pan & Wendy (April 28, 2023)
The Little Mermaid (Live-Action Remake) (May 26, 2023)
Elemental (June 16, 2023)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30, 2023)
Haunted Mansion (July 28, 2023)
Wish (November 22, 2023)

Note: This story was updated on 8/13/2024. It was originally posted on 1/12/2024.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Where to Watch

Not yet available for streaming.

IGN Recommends

Helldivers 2 Dev Posts New Game Plan After Update Leaves Fans Disappointed

IMAGES

Separation movie review & film summary (2021)
Separation (2021)
Separation
Movie Review
Separation (2021)
Review: 'Separation' (2021), starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer

COMMENTS

Separation movie review & film summary (2021)
William Brent Bell 's "Separation" is an atrocious piece of work, a movie that fails as both a domestic drama and as a horror flick, and really feels like the kind of thing that everyone involved is going to have to discuss in therapy someday to get to the bottom of why it was even made in the first place. And it's a viciously ...
Separation (2021)
A lifeless divorce drama cosplaying as a horror film, Separation is a disjointed mess that fails to escape its formulaic trappings. Read Critics Reviews. After raising expectations with a decent ...
Separation (2021)
Separation: Directed by William Brent Bell. With Rupert Friend, Violet McGraw, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer. A young girl finds solace in her artist father and the ghost of her dead mother.
'Separation' Review: A Scattershot and Oft-Misogynistic Thriller
'Separation' Review: A Scattershot and Oft-Misogynistic Thriller A widower and his daughter are haunted by an evil maternal spirit in director William Brent Bell's clunky horror movie.
Separation
The only separation that exists here is the vast one between good and bad filmmaking, and Separation falls decidedly on the side of the latter. Full Review | Jun 6, 2021
Separation (2021 film)
Separation is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by William Brent Bell, from a screenplay by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun. It stars Rupert Friend, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Violet McGraw, Simon Quarterman, and Brian Cox.
Separation (2021)
Separation feels like it's trying to tackle similar issues but there's a bit of a disconnect between the themes it addresses and how it presents them, especially since it relies upon the character of Jenny spelling out "the point" at the climax of the movie.
Movie Review
Movie Review - Separation (2021) April 29, 2021 by Robert Kojder. Separation, 2021. Directed by William Brent Bell. Starring Rupert Friend, Madeleine Brewer, Brian Cox, Violet McGraw, Troy James ...
Separation (2021)
Visit the movie page for 'Separation' on Moviefone. Discover the movie's synopsis, cast details and release date. Watch trailers, exclusive interviews, and movie review. Your guide to this ...
Separation (2021) Film Reviews
Quick-fire AND in-depth film reviews of Separation (2021) by the general public with additional Five Star Review system.
Separation (2021) Movie Reviews
When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie's father sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them.
Separation
Jan 22, 2023. Horror movie of 2021. The film again tells about the suffering of a soul in order to tell something. While talking about the custody of a divorced mother and father's daughters, the mother's death as a result of a car crash and the strange events that occur in the house where the father and child live are told.
'Separation' review: Let go of it for a better life
Separation (2021) Review Rating 3 3 Tags 2021 Horror Rupert Friend violet mcgraw William Brent Bell
Review: 'Separation' (2021), starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox
Review: 'Separation' (2021), starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer and Violet McGraw Arts and Entertainment Brian Cox, Eric T. Miller, horror, Linda Powell, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer, movies, reviews, Rupert Friend, Separation, Simon Quarterman, Violet McGraw, William Brent Bell
Horror Movie Review: Separation (2021)
A supernatural horror film with a twist, Separation is part-divorce drama, part horror and held together by strong performances by its leads.
Everything You Need to Know About Separation Movie (2021)
Separation was a Limited release in 2021 on Friday, April 30, 2021. There were 11 other movies released on the same date, including Triumph, Tom Clancy's Without Remorse and The Virtuoso. As a Limited release, Separation will only be shown in select movie theaters across major markets.
Separation (2021) Movie Reviews
When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie's father sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them.
Separation
Big Gold Belt Media review of the movie "Separation" starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer Director: William Brent Bell-This Movie synopsis:8-y...
'Separation': Film Review
Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer and Mamie Gummer star in 'Separation,' William Brent Bell's horror film about a little girl whose demonic puppets seem to come to life.
Separation Movie Review
Dull, familiar horror movie about divorce and death. Read Common Sense Media's Separation review, age rating, and parents guide.
Movie
107 minutes. Released. Release Date: 30 April 2021 (US) (more) Genre: Horror (more) Jenny is a young girl who leads a lonely life surrounded by her artist father's puppets. Following her mother's death, Jenny's life takes an unexpected turn as her maternal grandfather tries to get ...Read more custody of her, while the puppets come to life with ...
Separation (2021)
Separation. Jenny (Violet McGraw), an eight-year-old girl, is caught up in a custody battle between her parents—high-powered lawyer Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and struggling graphic artist Jeff (Rupert Friend). Emotionally scarred by her parents' battling, the little girl leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by horrific puppets called ...
Separation Movie (2021)
About Separation Movie (2021) Separation is a story of a young girl Jenny Vahn (Violet McGraw) who finds comfort in the ghost of her dead mother Maggie Vahn (Mamie Gummer) and her artist father Jeff Vahn (Rupert Friend). Separation Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings
Amid separation rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan disables
Abhishek Bachchan disables comments while sharing Paris Olympics 2024 videos amid separation rumours with Aishwarya Rai - WATCH. TOI Entertainment Desk / etimes.in / Aug 13, 2024, 17:02 IST.
Borderlands (2024)
Borderlands: Directed by Eli Roth. With Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Edgar Ramírez, Jamie Lee Curtis. Based on the best-selling videogame, this all-star action-adventure follows a ragtag team of misfits on a mission to save a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power.
Upcoming New Disney and Pixar Movies: 2024 Release Dates and Beyond
What's the future of Disney movies? We've got release dates for a bunch of titles for 2024, 2025, and beyond, from Snow White to Incredibles 3 to Frozen 3 and more!
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Venom: The Last Dance: Directed by Kelly Marcel. With Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
Reagan (2024 film)
Reagan is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and written by Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord, based on the 2006 book by Paul Kengor The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.The film stars Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan. Penelope Ann Miller, Robert Davi, Lesley-Anne Down and Jon Voight feature in supporting roles.
My Hero Academia: You're Next (2024)
My Hero Academia: You're Next: Directed by Tensai Okamura. With Kaito Ishikawa, Yûki Kaji, Kenta Miyake, Mamoru Miyano. Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he once admired.
Moana 2 (2024)
Moana 2: Directed by David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller. With Dwayne Johnson, Auli'i Cravalho, Alan Tudyk, Rachel House. After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced.

Movie Reviews

Brian Tallerico

Now playing

Sheila O'Malley

Family Portrait

Hundreds of Beavers

It Ends with Us

Film Credits

Separation (2021)

Cinematographer

Latest blog posts

The Box Office is Everything: In Praise of the Window at the Front of the Theater

The Fairy Tale Shoes: Interview With the Cast and Crew of Cuckoo

On the Trail: India Donaldson on Good One

The Texture of Night: How Collateral Revolutionized Movies

‘Separation’ Review: A Scattershot and Oft-Misogynistic Thriller

Nick Schager

Related Stories

Popular on Variety

Reviewed online, Stamford, Conn., April 28, 2021. Rated R. Running time: 107 MIN.

More from Variety

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Separation Reviews

Movie Review – Separation (2021)

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Matrix at 25: The Quintessential Sci-Fi Actioner of the Modern Age

Forgotten 90s Horror Movies You Have To See

Die Hard on a Shoestring: The Low Budget Die Hard Clones

Essential Gothic Horror Movies To Scare You Senseless

The Most Shocking Movies of the 1970s

The Films Quentin Tarantino Wrote But Didn’t Direct

Three Recent and Wildly Overrated Sequels

Essential Forgotten Films Well Worth Seeking Out

The Essential Modern Conspiracy Thriller Movies

10 Essential Home Invasion Horror Movies

Separation (2021)

Stream & Watch Separation

Trailers & Clips

Cast & Crew

Movie Details

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Separation (2021)

Have you seen these?

‘Separation’ review: Let go of it for a better life

'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' review: An imaginative milestone for animation

8 TV-inspired Halloween costumes to wear this spooky season

‘Stargirl’ 3×08 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two” explores The Shade’s regrets in the Shadowlands

“The Car” review: The most refined album Arctic Monkeys have ever released.

Album Review: Maajo – ‘Water of Life’

‘Pantheon’ series premiere review: The future is bright in the animated science fiction drama

Review: ‘Separation’ (2021), starring Rupert Friend, Brian Cox, Madeline Brewer, Mamie Gummer and Violet McGraw

GAMES, BRRRAAAINS & A HEAD-BANGING LIFE

Horror Movie Review: Separation (2021)

Separation (2021)

User Review

Separation Movie

Plot: What's the story about?

Who stars in Separation: Cast List

Who's making Separation: Crew List

Screenwriters

Production Companies

Official Trailer

Separation Release Date: When was the film released?

Q&A Asked about Separation

Looking for more information on Separation?

Across the Web

Get the latest on upcoming movies before everyone else!

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

site categories

Frank Scheck

Related Stories

THR Newsletters

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12