Taste of Cherry was my introduction to Abbas Kiarostami’s filmography and it really left an impact on me. So much so that I saw Close-Up and Certified Copy right after having seen it.
Kiarostami’s use of locations and characters add so much to the authenticity of his work, especially his Iranian films. The performances are so natural and genuine that I cannot even perceive them as acting. No one’s chewing the scenery, there aren’t any “Oscar worthy” performances; however, that is not with this film needed to work. It needed realistic portrayals of realistic characters in order to connect with the audience, which is something no other director (in my experience) has properly demonstrated. The care and effort that went into making Taste of Cherry as personal and authentic as it is is something I truly admire about it, and this is just elevated to a further degree with the landscapes and the framing which kept everything so visually interesting.
The lack of a traditional score made the bevy of quiet moments in the film so impactful; this is especially the case when Mr. Badii is sitting in the middle of construction work, surrounded only by orange dust and the sound of rubble, leaving him to contemplate his own life and allowing the viewer to contemplate with him. This is one of my favorite scenes of the movie, and I think the lack of a backstory for Mr. Badii is so genius because the little information we have allows the audience to project themselves onto the character. This creative choice makes for a very captivating and enthralling tale about life and death.
My personal favorite scene of the film is when Mr. Badii is driving with Mr. Bagheri. Bagheri’s explanation of his own suicidal behavior and how a mere mulberry is what kept him from committing suicide is a sheer testament to the beauty of life and why living isn’t for nothing. I found myself smiling and genuinely enjoying his story; I felt like I was in the car listening to him. I also appreciate how simple the film is and doesn’t try to be overly dramatic regarding its premise and themes. The lack of symbolism (with the exception of the ending) is what made the film so captivating for me and made it feel like a true study on life. The scenes with Bagheri also include my absolute favorite dialogue exchange in the film:
“I don’t know this road”.“I know it. It’s longer, but better and more beautiful”.
So simple, yet so impactful. Sometimes we want to take the easy way out. Sometimes we feel as if we’ve offered all we could. But there’s a point where we realize it’s not up to us to decide that, and that life itself, while long, is a better and more beautiful path to take.
After having seen 3 of his films, I can safely say that Abbas Kiarostami is one of the most fascinating filmmakers ever in my opinion. He has a range of expression that is so rare to find nowadays, and I cannot wait to watch more of his stuff.
[link] [comments]
source https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/ltia4x/thoughts_on_abbas_kiarostamis_taste_of_cherry/
Comments
Post a Comment