Pretending to be Mohsen Makhmalbaf making his next movie, Ali Sabzian enters a well-to-do family in Teheran. The actual people involved in the incident re-enact the actual events, followed by the footage from the actual trial that took place.
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There is an interesting overlapping of reality and film, especially the idea of an Iranian New Wave film movement. I feel that I perhaps should have enjoyed this film more then I actually did. Personally, that could have to do with my mind being more on deconstructionist films.
Ether way the film wasn't a waste of time and since it was a Criterion rental it came with the extra film "The Traveler"... the second disk was a documentary of Hossain Sabzian life after the release of "Close-Up" whi"
blue_skies added this to a list 4 months, 1 week ago
"13.01.
PC/TV, 1st viewing
DIRECTED BY Abbas Kiarostami
Probably the cleverest film I've ever seen.
It's a half-documentary, half-fiction film about a guy pretending to be Mohsen Makhmalbaf, a famous Iranian filmmaker. He plays his role so convincingly that a family - as film enthusiasts - lets him in their house as he intends to "shoot a film" there.
Most of Close-Up is real footage of the poor guy's trial as he shares his motives behind the fraud; his passion for cinema, his bad life experie"
Lamourderer added this to a list 4 months, 1 week ago
"A very unique film by director Abbas Kiarostami, that blurs the line between documentary and fictional narrative. The film progresses very simply and never reaches any profound moment of suspense or surprise. Nonetheless, it is a great representation of the humanity that circulates simple events happening to real-life individuals.
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m08221196 added this to a list 7 months, 1 week ago
"Like Kiarostami's other film, "Taste of Cherry", "Close Up" is a simple meditation on life, where the monologues of the character's seems to dominate everything else. It is depressing, emotionally exhausting, and something quite beautiful. More than that, they also seem to have this silver lining sense of hope. It's more than just pure misery "