Close-up
When I just started seeing the film, I wasn’t really sure what the point of it was, and being a little negatively biased against documentary films, I had reservations about whether I would like the style of the film or not. How quickly this opinion changed! It took about 30 minutes until I realized how ingenious the film-making of Close-up is. I came to understand why Kiarostami is so outstandingly acclaimed among other film directors.
The great thing about Close-up is that there really is a whole lot you can say about the film. On the surface, it is just a simple story, but there is just so much depth to it. Since I am quite bad at this, I am delighted to see that (unlike „Alphaville“), there also is a whole lot of secondary literature about the film so that I don’t even have to say much anymore.
There are two things I wanted to note though. The first one that is that I wholeheartedly agree that Close-up shows how much Kiarostami loves cinema. Close-up is a blending of how film, acting and being a human being are tied together, and that makes the film a gem for film lovers, but rather pointless if you are not following the „religion of film buff-ness“. Heh.
The second point is that I like how Kiarostami portrayed Sabzian as a very likeable person, but from the dialogue, you can see how he also subtly asks the viewer to question Sabzian in general. So if he played Makhmalbaf, is he also playing himself at the trial? Is he still acting to be a “good man” or is he actually for real? I liked how it brought forth the everlasting question of how much of a person is actually a role, and of how much of life is actually a play.
In that sense, I am amazed at how this rather simple story was executed: I loved the non-linear storytelling that seemingly focuses on small details at the very beginning only to show you the main character later; I also loved the dialogue at the trial and I was especially a fan of how the sound was cut out in the last scene. It made you look at the characters closer, took out the sentimentality of this very emotional scene and showed instead of telling. Less is more, after all.
Of course I also watched „Il giorno della prima di close up“ another time, since it was on the DVD. Ultimately, it was completely pointelss to see this film without seeing Close-up. Now that I did, I obviously see this short film with completely different eyes. It’s so beautiful and so funny. I also was touched when I saw the last scene of Close-up again. The music of that scene is great too: not kitsch or sentimental but just plain beautiful.
All in all, the subtle brilliance of Close-up is difficult to describe and I have found it to be marvelous. In fact, now I am glad that I have two more films by Kiarostami available: Life and nothing more and Where is the friends’ home. I am so intrigued about seeing them now!
this film is a masterpiece and surely amongst the best documentaries I know – so glad you seemed to love it as well X3!
I’ve seen the film 3 times now and each time I’m stunned by how passionately and creatively the cinema itself is explored by the filmmaker. the ending is heartbreaking, and the way it kinda collapses the fictional and documentary aspects of the project into unity -by bringing in the real Makhmalbaf to approach Sabzian – is just incredible.
I also fully agree with you on that sudden loss of soundtrack by the end – it just makes you realize the level of sincerity put into this work by all involved.
hope you will enjoy the other Kiarostami features. I personally love Life and nothing more as much as Close-Up, i’d even call it the greatest Iranian film I’ve seen to date.