Separation City

There were a couple of lines of dialogue which betrayed the screenplay’s 80s roots, and they jarred a little for me, but I feel like I’m nitpicking really! Separation City was a generous, healthy serving of much hilarity, and certainly worth the ticket price...

– Reviewer Kate Rodger on Separation City, Newshub, 1 August 2009

It's plainly meant to be a wistful rumination on midlife malaise and infidelity (a key line, and it's a cracker, is that unrequited love lasts forever, but requited love comes with a use-by date) but Scott the scattergun jokester keeps popping up...

– NZ Herald writer Peter Calder in a three star review, 6 August 2009

Harry: my best man, my best mate. Undemanding, loyal, cheerful, loves sport, attractive under dim lighting...I should have married him, really.

– Simon (Joel Edgerton) introduces his mate Harry (Les Hill), in the first scene

The sky over Berlin looked like it was about to cry the day I married Klaus. That should have been my first clue. It almost didn't happen, because as usual Klaus was running late.

– Katrien (Rhona Mitra) describes her wedding day in Berlin

I really wanted to go to assertiveness training, but Joanne wouldn't let me.

– Harry (Les Hill) offers a zinger at his men's support group

Do you remember what that feels like — When someone finds you exciting?

– Simon (Joel Edgerton) enthuses to his mate Harry (Les Hill) about Katrien (Rhona Mitra)

He's written a film that's very sincere and exposing, and I think that was what has interested everybody involved in the project — the actors, myself, and even down to the DOP [cinematographer]. There's a lot of things that we could relate to in the script, and I think that was what's so unique about it: it was dealing with issues that often aren't discussed or explored, particularly with drama and comedy.

– Director Paul Middleditch describes Tom Scott's screenplay, in Middleditch's video interview

The script is very funny but also is a hard-hitting honest look at relationships and marriage. To me it is a curious mix of being confronting but also really comical at the same time.

– Australian cast member Joel Edgerton, in a 25 June 2009 press release