Close-Up (1990)

Although probably not one of the greatest and most profound films ever made, as many have claimed, Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up is certainly a notable achievement, a very interesting and often fascinating film. Either a pseudo- or semi-documentary, Kiarostami keeps everything very ambiguous. The "story" is a true one. Hossain Sabzian is unemployed, divorced, and a pathetic human being. He enjoys the cinema very much and, when the chance presents itself, he tells an aging woman, Mahrokh Ahankhah, that he is the famed director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. She and her family had recently enjoyed one of his films, and she invites him to dinner. At the Ahankhahs' home he continues his charade, and begins to lie about wanting to make a film starring the family, using their home as the setting. He searches through their house and the surrounding area and even borrows money from the youngest son. Their relationship continues, but soon they are tipped off to the fraud he is committing. They have him arrested and take him to court on fraud charges. Now a good portion of this narrative that I've described is not shown on screen. Close-Up begins with Sabzian's arrest as viewed from the outside. I don't know when else I can do it in this review, but I'd like to express my fondness for the two scenes where the camera watches an empty can of spray paint roll down the street. I'm not sure if it's supposed to represent something or not, but the camera captures it beautifully as it rolls over top of a couple of dried leaves, lifting them up and tossing them mere centimeters in the air.

Moving on, we watch Abbas Kiarostami ask Sabzian if he can document his trial on film. Of course, as a huge film lover, he agrees. Most of the film takes place at the trial, where Sabzian defends himself and the youngest member of the Ahankhah family prosecutes him. A judge presides. It is never really revealed whether the footage of the trial is real or a recreation. I read up on the film a little, and both circumstances are claimed by different reviews. Personally, I think it's all a recreation for a couple of different reasons (that I don't feel like going over; it's not really that important). A couple of times the film goes into flashback. We see Sabzian and Mrs. Ahankhah on the bus. We also see the arrest again, but this time from the inside. During the trial, Sabzian explains his reasons for impersonating Makhmalbaf, which are actually very touching. The film also has some subtle humor and it refrains from making fun of its subject. Questions are raised on the cult of identity and on the power of the cinema. They aren't really fully explored however. I think Kiarostami's biggest problem is his undying faith in his film's utter ambiguity. The idea is interesting and rather successful, but it shouldn't be taken as profundity. Other films have explored the documentary genre with as much or more success. Orson Welles' final film, F for Fake, is a lot more entertaining than Close-Up, although it has its flaws, as well. The best film like this that I've seen is Victor Erice's masterpiece Dream of Light (aka Quince Tree of the Sun), which was made a couple of years later. That film left me with more to think about, both in its themes and its playfulness with the documentary genre, than this one does. However, Close-Up, as I've said, is an achievement, not to be scoffed at. 8/10.

Fmovies: Truly the best, freshest, most truly independent cinema is coming from Iran - or at least was in the nineties. Time will tell. My favourite is "Salaam Cinema", a film I would love to see again. This film, from Iran's Goddard (I spose you'd call him) Abbas Kiarostami is in the docu-drama tradition. It uses the real people who took part in the real events portrayed in the movie, it uses a documentary style, but it is a film - not a documentary. I feel you could add, but is it not a documentary? Because at times, you just don't know. A truly great film because it really sucks you in, time passes, I have no idea how long it ran because it was over too soon. Magic!

Blurring the line between what's real & what's reconstructed from scratch, Close-Up is truly unique in what it pulls off over the course of its runtime and is an incredibly original, meditative & masterly constructed example of experimental filmmaking that offers an interesting glimpse into the psyche of a complicated man while showcasing the power of cinema itself.

Set in Iran, Close-Up covers the real-life trial of a cinephile who impersonated an acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and successfully conned a wealthy family in Tehran into believing that they would star in his new feature, that is until his luck ran out. The plot captures the ensuing trial that's filmed by the crew as it transpires in the courthouse while interspersed within those images are reenactments of the case.

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami, Close-Up marks my first stint with his works & what instantly caught my attention was the opening credits that showed every cast member to be playing themselves, an unusually surprising move. Kiarostami's direction deserves kudos for he manages to erase the line that differentiates reality from fiction by using same individuals who were involved in the real-life scene to reenact the earlier events.

What's also striking is that the reconstructed segments retain the raw, crude & untainted quality of recorded footage, while everything that unfolds in the courthouse is not a result of any rehearsed wordplay. Although the confession of the accused gives us a peek into his complex persona as well as his thought process, it also elegantly exposes the existing divide between the rich & the poor in Iranian society.

Throughout the trial, Kiarostami tries to get the perpetrator's side of the story on the camera and while there are times that make you wonder if he's still staging an act or is being honest, some of the things said by him do reflect a bitter truth about the society we live in, like when he talks about the love, respect & hospitality he received from the family when he pretended to be someone else, something he never would've experienced otherwise.

It's not that you can't differentiate between what's real & what's reenacted in Close-Up but the way its entire plot is executed, it makes you forget that deception & allows you experience it for what it is. Cinematography makes splendid use of the camera which is brilliantly utilised for long unbroken takes, hidden recordings, fixed smooth pans & fluid movements while Editing cleverly arranges the different segments into one consistently engaging narrative.

On an overall scale, Close-Up is an expertly crafted docufiction about human identity and captures it in its most natural form. Real-life can be just as full of drama & spices as any story brought to life on a film canvas and both forms inspire one another more often than usual. Although regarded by many to be one of modern cinema's greatest works, Close-Up didn't enthral me enough to join that particular crowd but I do admire its uniqueness, originality & honesty. Definitely recommended.

Close-Up fmovies. And a psychological one. This movie is only, so to speak, about a man, his mind and his conscience and this is well portrayed by his attitude and his reactions. His love of art and cinema led him to impersonate a famous film director and convincing of that a rich family to whom he said he would like to make a movie at their home and with them He ended up charged with fraud and his behaviour during trial was moving and very expressive. This story happened really and most of the performers were the real people that intervened on the real event which makes this movie half documentary half fictional. That simple story is so well directed and performed that keeps you interested and sensible through the whole film projection.

Close-up tells the true story of a man arrested for impersonating Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The film is a joy made up of mostly real footage of the trial and interviews with all involved, and also re-enactments of real events by the actual people involved. The film comes across as a portrait of a film-lover, as Hossain Sabzian defends his reasons for his impersonation in court with Kiarostami as the judge (literally) and the audience as jury, praying for a light sentence for Sabzian. Sabzian comes across as a screen legend, his innocence draws us to identify with him, a sweet man with a passion for films and family. Close-up literally bursts with originality, breaking the line between documentary and fiction with fantastic innovation, whilst still remaining light-hearted, humorous and easy viewing for anyone.

A Russian nesting doll, a mise en abime, a mediation on the intense need to create, a riff on the impossibility of true "documentary", a loving snipe at the more ethnic or folklorical of the two great Iranian directors. A film where a can rolling down the street functions as a beautifully observed, understated poetic trope. A film that examines the whole notion of "image". A film that shows us the richness and depth of a society which we so often reduce to a series of negative clichés. A film with humor and compassion for all of its characters, but that doesn't bang you over the head with it. A radical approach to narrative which reconciles both post - narrative and post - post - narrative approaches to cinema. A film that makes you think, without slathering on any kind of "message". A film that brings up issues pertinent to film itself: questions of representation,storytelling, form, truth,etc. A freaking masterpiece!