Close-Up
1990
The true story of an unemployed movie lover who passes himself off as a celebrated film director. Read more
| Starring | Moshen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Monoochehr Ahankhah |
|---|---|
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Genres | World Cinema |
loading...
Close-Up
The true story of an unemployed movie lover who passes himself off as a celebrated film director.
| Starring | Moshen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Monoochehr Ahankhah, Hossain Sarzian |
|---|---|
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Studio | SODA PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 33 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Farsi |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Aug 2007 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews
View all -
Kiarostami's masterpiece is a rich, multi-layered but beautifully forthright film in which Sabzian (playing himself - a... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
16 out of 18 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
For all fans of cinema
Once upon a time, somewhere in Tehran, there was an unemployed salesman who occasionally worked for a printers called Hossein Sabzian. He liked the films of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, particularly his latest, called 'The cyclist'. So, like the guy in 'Six degrees of separation' who pretended to be Sidney Poitier's son, he dropped in on a well-to-do family and pretended to be Makhmalbaf - intending to shoot his next film in their house.
When the odd little fraud was exposed, Abbas Kiarostami was so intrigued, he descended on those involved and asked to record the trial, and re-create the Sabzian's arrest, using all those involved. The result could have been impossibly arch, but it becomes a fascinating meditation on identity, deception, family relationships and making a film itself. The final scene, with the sound coming and going is a wonderful, witty commentary on cinema in Iran, and what we understand by 'the truth 24 times a second'. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
8 out of 12 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Pass.
I love foreign fillms, but this Iranian offering, so highly thought of by some, is obviosly more for the dedicated film buff, which unfortunately I did not realise when ordering it. I'm afraid I found it incredibly slow and long- winded and quite pretentious in spite of its simplicity and amateur status.
The story goes thus: An unemployed Iranian man, desperately down on his luck, attempts to pass himself off as one of the country's most famous film directors.There is a certain likeness between them it seems; he knows a great deal about Iranian films; and he sees himself as the living embodiment of a character in one of the highly regarded director's best known films. A fan of the first order,in other words, and by his own later admission, completely obsessed.
He manages to impress a well- to- do local family that he really is this famous person, having them believe he wishes to make a film in their house and cast them as the actors - thereby gaining thier respect and admiration and also a few hand-outs and free meals.
Eventually, however, the family smell a rat and to cut a very long story short, the impostor finds himself in jail. Enter a journalist, hot on the scent of a big story, who films the whole thing on video and a hastily borrowed tape recorder.
The trial which follows is where my patience was tested to the limit. While interesting as a study of the man's mental state and the way an Iranian court of law operates, it lasts about an hour and in a sub-titled film is far too long. Basically, the poor man is simply a fantasist. A few months in a mental establishment might have sorted him out. Instead of which, he is ultimately saved by the famous director.
I thought the film took itself and it's subject far too seriously, and unless you have the patience of a saint, I recommend avoiding the Extra Features which are twice as long-winded as the film. Much ado about nothing in my opinion, but call it art if you will. -
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
50 auteurs, 50 great films (50)
93.6% from 58 members
