Abbas Kiarostami’s Five Dedicated to Ozu is a unique cinematic experience. Films do not necessarily always portray stories. Sometimes, non-narrative shots convey more meaning than merely describing a story. Those become integral parts of a film and most importantly depict life on screen. Five Dedicated to Ozu consists of five long shots of nature without …

“Five Dedicated to Ozu” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Five Dedicated to Ozu” Strongly Establishes the Correlation Between Nature and Humans Read More »

Abbas Kiarostami’s Shirin is a perfect example of experimental filmmaking. The film is based on the epic poem Khosrow and Shirin by Nizami Ganjavi. However, Kiarostami is not interested in merely presenting the poem in the film. He has always experimented with different filmmaking styles and enriched films as one of the most important mediums …

“Shirin” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Shirin” Creates a New Language of Cinema Read More »

Abbas Kiarostami’s Ten portrays the indescribable plight and struggle of Iranian women in modern Iran. Kiarostami’s films always deal with serious issues like life, death, afterlife, spirituality, suicide, etc., and represent the lives and culture of ordinary Iranians. His films are replete with the enormous natural beauty of Rural Iran. However, in this film, his …

“Ten” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Ten” Highlights the Plight of Women in Modern Iran Read More »

Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us is a poetic film. A journalist named Behzad (Behzad Dourani) visits a Kurdish Iranian village to shoot the funeral rituals of a hundred-year-old woman. After spending a couple of weeks there, he finally abandons the mission and is about to leave the village when the old woman dies. As …

“The Wind Will Carry Us” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s Poetic “The Wind Will Carry Us” Deeply Focuses on Life, Death, Afterlife, and Spirituality Read More »

Abbas Kiarostami’s Life and Nothing More… is the 2nd film of the Koker Trilogy. In this film, an alter ego of Kiarostami Farhad Kheradmand sets out for Koker by car with his adolescent son Pouya in search of the young actors featured in the first film of the Koker Trilogy Where Is the Friend’s Home?, …

“Life and Nothing More…” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Life and Nothing More…” Searches for Life and Hope in the Midst of Destruction and Death Read More »

Through the Olive Trees is the third and final film of Abbas Kiarostami’s Koker trilogy. Like the other two films of the trilogy – Where Is the Friend’s Home? and Life and Nothing More, this film too is set in the village named Koker in Northern Iran. Like many of his films, Kiarostami portrays the …

“Through the Olive Trees” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Through the Olive Trees” Portrays the Relentless Pursuit of Love of a Poor Illiterate Homeless Rural Iranian Man Amidst a Devastating Earthquake Read More »

Abbas Kiarostami’s Where Is the Friend’s Home? is a heart-touching story of a schoolboy who goes to his neighboring village to return his friend’s notebook so that he does not get expelled by the schoolteacher the next day. The film shows how efficiently a filmmaker can make a film based on children and highlight their …

“Where Is the Friend’s Home?” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Where Is the Friend’s Home?” Highlights a Rural Iranian Schoolboy’s Sense of Civic Duty Read More »

Close-Up established great Abbas Kiarostami strongly as a major international filmmaker. It is based on a true story of a man named Hossain Sabzian who impersonated famous Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and was arrested subsequently. Close-Up is based on the real-life trial of Hossain Sabzian. The film deals with important issues like personal identity, poverty, …

“Close-Up” Analysis and Review: Abbas Kiarostami’s “Close-Up” Portrays an Ordinary Person’s Extraordinary Passion for Cinema Read More »

World-famous Iranian film genius Abbas Kiarostami made multiple important films during his lifetime. Taste of Cherry is one of his most important and celebrated works. Kiarostami’s works deal with serious issues like life, death, afterlife, spirituality, separation, isolation, divorce, acceptance. He always made films based on what life had taught him. Humanity was his single …

“Taste of Cherry” Analysis and Review: World-famous Iranian Film Genius Kiarostami’s “Taste of Cherry” Portrays the Preciousness of Life Read More »