Close-Up

So far my favorite Kiarostami films i’ve seen have been his documentaries. In those documentaries he takes such an invested interest into the psychologies of the people interviewed that it’s hard not to be entirely consumed by it. This, of course, is maybe the height of that in his career. The story he’s documenting itself being about cinema and artifice in a way adds so much to whatever it is that this movie is trying to get across. The reenactments are so interesting to the viewer as an experiment, not only are they shot exquisitely well, but you’re thinking the entire time the remarkable nature of all parties involved agreeing to do this, and the nuances in the ways they’re doing it. I can’t remember if it’s the judge or Kiarostami himself who asks Sabzian if he’s still playing a role for the camera in the trial, That entire conversation I find a such a deep pool to dive into. A film that anyone with an interest in artifice vs truth in art should watch 🤓