There is not much to say about this movie, but it’s pure Kiarostami brilliance. You have to ‘see’ it. I still remember the first 15 minutes of Close-Up that I watched, where I was wondering what his movies are all about. “Where is the friends’ home?” is probably one of the simplest examples showing what Kiarostami’s movies are all about: Humanity. I read in a few articles that his movies tend to ask many questions and become very multi-faceted pseudo-deep stories, but this film (as well as this short film that shows nothing but the faces of women in a movie theater crying) is executed in a very straight-forward and unpretentious way while unveiling a surprisingly complex world in a hidden level.
As slow as the movie proceeds, it is extremely deep in the way it shows the world from a child’s eye. We don’t see many things happening, but from the few bits of dialogue and details of what the child does, a lot of information seems to be subtly conveyed: The unfairness of adults towards children, the deeply-rooted traditions of rural life and finally the strong and honest character of the boy.
However, I also think that the slowless of the film would keep many people up from even attempting to watch it. Most people who watch the film probably do so upon hearing Kiarostami’s name, and someone who knows Kiarostami probably also knows a few other film makers. Kiarostami’s films are a love or hate thing, I am sure of that.
Finally I must admit that I am slightly unhappy with the end: Sure, it’s a touching end, but somehow I was disappointed that the boy did not truly succeed. This is very silly of me, because I assume that one of the messages of the film is that it is not the destination that matters but the way. The more I think about the film, the more I come to like it and the more I seem to discover in it. Maybe this is the true wonder of “Where is the friends’ home?”