The average British person goes to the cinema 5.8 times a year, mainly to see the summer and autumn blockbusters which Hollywood turns out with unerring consistency. I tend to go once a week, and almost always for World Cinema, which is of a delight that extends beyond words. One of the best films I saw last year was 'A Separation', a beautifully candid story set in Iran. I'd never seen an Iranian film before and I have no idea about Iran - the daily negative news reports notwithstanding - and the truth is that it was one of the best films I have ever seen. It was quiet, it was powerful, it was truthful, and it was beautiful. There is really no other way to describe it, you just have to go and see it. One of the best things about it, and why I am writing about it here (it's being talked about for the Oscars) was that I could hear Persian for two hours. I knew nothing about the language, but after two hours listening to its melodies I was struck dumb. Rarely has a language sounded so pure, so enchanting, so good!