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WatchingKiarostamiFilmsatHome

JonathanRosenbaum

TowhatextentdoesAbbasKiarostami,Iransbestknownandmostcelebrated

filmmaker,stillbelongtoIran,andtowhatextentdoeshenowbelongtotheworld?

InsofarasthefirstsixteenofhisseventeenfeatureshavebeenshotinIranonly

CertifiedCopy,filmedinItaly,whichpremieredinCanneslastMay,qualifiesasa

featureshotinexilehemightbesaidtobelonginsomefashiontohisnativecountry.

ButthelastofhisfeaturestodatetohaveopenedcommerciallyinIranwashistenth,

TasteofCherry(1997),andonewouldntexpectthissituationtochangeanytimeinthe

nearfuture.Theviolentgovernmentreprisalsagainstprotestsfollowingthestolen

presidentialelectionof2009,andthearrestofKiarostamismosttalentedandpolitically

daringprotg,JafarPanahithedirectorofTheCircle,CrimsonGold,andOffside,

whosetrialwasstillinprogresswhilethisarticlewasbeingwrittendonotsuggesta

climateverycompatiblewithKiarostamisbrandofcinema,quiteapartfromthefactthat

thelastfilmsofhistohaveenjoyedmuchcommercialsuccessinIranhavebeenWhereis

theFriendsHouse?andCloseup,bothmaderoughlytwodecadesago.Bynecessity,it

wouldseem,heisalreadyonhiswaytowardsbecominganinternationalfilmmaker

workinginexile.

Moreover,ifweregardfeatureasaninternationalmarketingterm,howweaddup

itemsinKiarostamisextremelyvariedfilmographythatfitthatcategoryisbynomeans
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certain.Ivearbitrarilydefinedafeatureasafilmlastingonehourorlonger,andthis

automaticallyexcludesKiarostamisTheWeddingSuit(1976,57minutes),his

experimentaldocumentaryCaseNo.1,CaseNo.2(1979,53minutes),andFellow

Citizen(1983,53minutes),amongothersincludinghismiddleepisodeinthethreepart,

ItalianmadeTickets(2005),whichisroughlythesamelength.

TheissueofwhereandhowwesituateKiarostamiinrelationtobothIraniancinemaand

worldcinemaand,moregenerally,inrelationtobothIranandtheworldisarealand

practicalmatter,forKiarostamiandforus.Werelivingthroughaparadoxicaland

ambiguousperiodwhen,ontheonehand,nationaldifferencesappeartobelessimportant

thantheyusedtobeduetoglobalization(includingsomeoftherelativelyuniform

practicesofmultinationalcorporationsinseparatepartsoftheglobe)andtheresourcesof

theInternet,while,ontheotherhand,panickyandparanoidformsofidentitypolitics,

includinghyperbolicformsofnationalism,respondingtothesechangeshavebeen

eruptingallaroundus.

Atthesametime,definitionsofcinemaanditsviewingsituationsareundergoing

radicalchanges.From1987toearly2008,Iworkedasaweeklyfilmcriticforthe

ChicagoReader,andwhatIsawwaschieflywhatIhadtoreview,eventuallyifnot

immediately,whetherthiswasatfilmfestivalsorinChicago.Duringthattime,I

collaboratedonabookaboutKiarostamiwithaChicagobasedfilmmakerandteacher,

MehrnazSaeedVafa,thatUniversityofIllinoisPresspublishedin2003,andourvisitto
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Tehraninearly2001enabledustoseearoughcutofABCAfrica,hisfirstdigitallyshot

feature,beforeitsurfacedatfestivalslaterthesameyear.

Sincethen,whenandhowIgettoseeKiarostamifilmshasbeenmorechancy,for

differentyetinterrelatedreasonsthathavealotofbearingonthetransitionalperiodwere

livingthroughinrelationtofilmgoing,thankstoDVDsandotherdigital,nontheatrical

formats.WhenSaeedVafaandIwerefinishingupourbook,theonlywaywecouldsee

KiarostamisTen(2002)intimetoincludesomediscussionaboutitwasonaVHScopy,

shortlyafterthisfilmpremieredinCannes.Ifirstsawitsnonnarrativefollowup,Five

DedicatedtoOzu(2003),asamuseuminstallationinTurinduringahugeKiarostami

retrospectiveandthenatalargescreentheatricalshowingattheTorontoInternational

FilmFestival,butasIsubsequentlydiscoveredwhenIwasfinallyabletowatchitat

homeonDVD,neitherofthosepresentationswereatalladequateorsatisfactoryfor

encounteringsuchanintimatechamberpiece.

ShotneartheCaspianSeawhileKiarostamiwasvisitingPanahiandcoscriptingthe

lattersCrimsonGold,thefilmmainlyfocusesonsuchsubjectsasapieceofdriftwood

buffetedbywaves,dogsandducksonthebeach,andthemoonreflectedinapond.The

worksfulltitleisFiveLongTakesDedicatedtoOzu,andthisismisleadinginatleasta

coupleofways,because(a)YasujiroOzuwasaJapanesestudiodirectorwhoworked

exclusivelywithfictionalnarratives,and(b)asKiarostamihimselfexplainsinhis54

minuteAroundFive(2005),thefifthandbyfarthemostinterestingtakewasactually
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filmedoverseveralmonthsindiverselocations,buteditedsothatitlookslikeasingle

takeinasinglelocation.Butmisleadingtheaudienceandsubsequentlyinformingthe

audienceabouthowitwasbeingmisledhasbeenacentralconcernofKiarostamisat

leastsinceCloseup(1990)andTasteofCherry.Andmoreoftenthannot,evenwhen

Kiarostamihasbeenmakingfilmsdestinedtoshowinnontheatricalspaces,situatinghis

workinadialecticalrelationtothevariousillusionistseductionsofcommercialcinema,

includingHollywood,havecontinuedtobeanimportantpartofhisgame.(Idont

believeinacinemaofliterarynarrative,heavowsinAroundFive,butIdontbelieve

thatcinemacanexistwithouttellingastory,goingontoarguethatviewersconsciously

orunconsciouslyimposenarrativesevenonstillphotographs.)

Infact,FiveprovedtobeapivotalworkforKiarostamiinmanyrespects.Itmarkedthe

beginningofanextendedperiodduringwhichKiarostamiescapedfromtheworldof

theatricalartcinemaandintotheworldofmuseumsandgalleries,whereheexhibited

manyofhisownlandscapephotographsandcreatedmanyfilmrelatedinstallations

(includingaseriesofvideolettersexchangedwithSpanishfilmmakerVictorErice).

AndwhenhestartedtomakehiswaybacktotheatricalfilmmakingwithShirin(2008),

hesignificantlydidsobyfocusingontheatricalfilmgoingasasubject.

ImnotsurehowIfeelaboutthebestviewingformatfor10onTen(2004),Kiarostamis

makingofdocumentaryaboutTen,whichIsawbothasaDVDextraandonabigscreen

atChicagosGeneSiskelFilmCenter,andIfeltsomeofthesameambivalencewhenI
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reviewedthehalfhourshortRoadsofKiarostamiavideothatisabouthislandscape

photographs,butwhichalsoendswitha

polemicalandalarmedresponsetotheprospectofIransdevelopmentofnuclear

armamentsalmosttwoyearslater:despitetheobviousadvantagesofabigscreen

image,theseparateadvantagesofbrowsingandbacktrackingonDVDcantbe

overlookedeither.InthecaseofKiarostamisepisodeinTickets,Iregrettedthatmyonly

wayofseeingitwasonDVD,andIregrettedthisimpasseevenmorewhenitcameto

Shirin(which,interestinglyenough,worksfromanevenmorespecificallyand

archetypicallyIraniancontext).

BythetimeIgottoseeCertifiedCopylastfall,IwasteachingatVirginia

CommonwealthUniversityinRichmond,somyonlyoptionifIwantedtoseethefilm

anytimesoonwastoorderthe

FrenchDVDofthefilmfromFrenchAmazon,whichIpromptlydid.Ontheotherhand,

IwasteachingKiarostamisTheWindCarryUs(1999),onaprojectedDVD,aroundthe

sametime,andIwoundupshowingonesequencefrommyCertifiedCopyDVDonabig

screenaspartofthesamecourse.Thistime,asinTickets,an

Iraniancontextisalmostcompletelyabsent,apartfromtheEnglishherospassing

referencetoaPersianpoem.

SaeedVafaremarkedtomeaftershewasabletoseeCertifiedCopyinChicagothatthe

filmislimitedbybeingessentiallythefilmofatourist.Thisremindedmethat,according
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toPedroCosta,JeanMarieStrauboncecriticizedoneofKiarostamisIranianfeaturesas

thefilmofatourist.Onemightevensaythatanoutsidersvantagepointevenwhen

hesobjectifyingand/orcritiquinghisownambiguousrelationtowardshischaractersis

anessentialpartofhisequipmentasafilmmaker,andonethatdistinguisheshimsharply

fromMohsenMakhmalbafafilmmakerwhonowliveswithhisfamilyinParisandhas

sufferedimmeasurablyasanartistbybeingeffectivelyforcedintoexile.(Tomymind,

MakhmalbafsmorerecentfeaturesshotoutsideofIran,suchasKandahar[2001]in

AfghanistanandScreamoftheAnts[2006]inIndia,aswellashisearlierTimeofLove

[1990]inTurkey,arefarlessassuredandpersuasivethansuchpurelyIranianworksas

hisMarriageoftheBlessedandThePeddler[both1989].)

Whenwewereworkingonourbook,MehrnazandIdiscoveredthatamajordifference

betweenourviewofhisworkwasthatshemainlyviewedhimasanIranianfilmmaker

whileIviewedhimmoreassomeonemakingfilmsaboutthecontemporaryworldwho

happenedtobeIranian.Yetnowthathesstartingtomakefilmsaboutthecontemporary

worldoutsideofIran,itspossiblethattheabsenceofanIraniancontextmaylimithis

viewofthatworldincertainrespects.ForitsalsoimportanttobearinmindthatIranis

asethnicallymulticulturalastheU.S.,andKiarostamisIranianfilmsoftenreflectthis,if

oneconsiders,forexample,theTurkishcharactersinCloseupandTasteofCherryorthe

KurdishcharactersinTasteofCherryandTheWindWillCarryUs.
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Aformercommercialartist,bornin1940,whodesignedbookcoversandpostersand

madefilmtrailersandover150TVcommercialsbetween1960and1969,Kiarostami

becameafilmmakeronlyafterhewasinvitedin1969tohelpsetupthefilmunitat

Kanun(TheCenterfortheIntellectualDevelopmentofChildrenandYoungAdults),a

stateorganizationfoundedbytheshahswife.Hesubsequentlymadepracticallyallofhis

films,19inall,forthisorganizationbetween1970and1992theonlysignificant

exceptionwashisfirstfulllengthfeature,the1977Reportwhichmeantthathewas

abletodevelopasafilmmakerincompleteindependencefromtheusualcommercialand

industrialconstraints.Yetbothinspiteofandbecauseofthisunusualbackground,

Kiarostamibegantofashionhisownkindofcinemainadialecticalrelationshipto

commercialcinemaonceheenteredtheinternationalmarketinthelate80sandearly90s,

principallywithCloseup(whichwasrecentlyreleasedonbothDVDandBluRayby

Criterion,inthesamepackagewithhisfirstKanunfeature,TheTraveler[1974]).This

tendency,whichwasalreadyfirmlyinplacewhenhewontheCannesfestivalspaume

dorin1997withTasteofCherry,hasbecomeevenmorepronouncedandovertinhis

twomostrecentfeatures,Shirin(alreadyavailableonDVDfromCinemaGuild,with

RoadsofKiarostamiincludedasoneoftheextras)andCertifiedCopy(which,asoflate

2010,isavailableinFrenchandItalianversionsandiscomingoutonDVDintheU.K.in

January).Butitcanalsobefeltintherecurringusesofcarsinmostofhismajorfeatures

(mostnotably,LifeandNothingMore,TasteofCherry,TheWindWillCarryUs,Ten,

andoneespeciallybeautifulsequenceinCertifiedCopy),withthedriveralmost

invariablyrespondingtovariouspedestrians,whosuggestsongoinganalogiesnotonly
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betweenwindshieldsandcameras,but,evenmoresignificantly,betweendriversand

spectatorsinafilmauditorium,whomanagetobealoneandwithotherpeopleatthe

sametime.

Kiarostamiisntacinephile,despitehisallusiontoOzu,andalthoughheshardlyalone

inthistraitamongrespectedinternationalfilmmakerstheHungariandirectorBlaTarr

isprobablyevenlessinterestedinthefilmsofothersithelpstodefinetheplayfully

adversarialpositionhehascarvedoutforhimselfinrelationtothenormsofcommercial

filmmaking.Itsalmostasifhehassetouttoimitateandemulatetheconventionsof

commercialnarrativecinemawhilesteadilyundermininganddeconstructingthemin

variousways:withholdingimportantaspectsofhisplots,includingmotivationsand/or

outcomes(asinLifeandNothingMore[1992],ThroughtheOliveTrees[1994],Tasteof

Cherry,TheWindWillCarryUs,Ten,andCertifiedCopy),andcomposingvarious

narrativeillusionsthatdependontheaudiencesimagination(inalloftheabovefilmsas

wellasinWhereistheFriendsHouse?[1986],thedocumentariesHomework[1988]

andABCAfrica,thesingularmixofdocumentaryandfictioncomprisingCloseup,Five

DedicatedtoOzu,andShirin).Hiswaysofcarryingoutthisprogramvaryfromfilmto

filminThroughtheOliveTreesandTasteofCherry,herefusestogiveusthenarrative

closurewevebeenexpecting;inTheWindWillCarryUs,hekeepsmanyimportant

charactersperpetuallyoutsideofthecamerasrange;inmostofthesefilms,apartfrom

thedocumentariesandsemidocumentaries,herestrictsallornearlyalloftheactionto

exteriors;andmajorscenesinTasteofCherry,TheWindWillCarryUs,andABCAfrica
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transpireinalmosttotaldarkness.Butonecouldstillarguethatthedesiretoengagewith

thecinemaasaninstitutionwithvariouscodesandconventionsisaconstant.(Inthecase

ofhisusualrefusaltoshootindomesticinteriors,Iraniancensorshipregardingwomen

wearinghijabsislargelyresponsible,becauserequiringwomencharacterstowearthese

intheirhomeswouldviolateplausibility.)

FromhislongstintatKanun,workingmostoftenwithchildrenandalmostinvariably

withnonprofessionalsasactors,Kiarostamiworkedoutvariousmethodsofgettingthe

sortofperformancesandresponseshewantedfromthemwithoutrecoursetoscripted

dialogue.BythetimehemadeTasteofCherry,oneofhisbestfilms,hehadbecomeso

adroitwiththistechniquethathewasabletofilmvirtuallyallthedialogueexchangesin

thefilm,mostofwhichtakeplaceinthefrontseatsofacardrivingthroughtheoutskirts

ofTehran,withoutanyoftheactorsevermeetingoneanother.Hefilmedthedriverand

maincharacterinthefilmfromthecarsadjacentseatandwhomeverthischaracterwas

talkingtofromthedriversseat,theneditedthetwosetsofshotstogethersothat

audienceshadnotroublebelievingthatthetwocharacterswereinthesamespaceatthe

sametime.Variationsofthistechniquewereusedinotherfilmsofhis.InTheWindWill

CarryUs,anothermasterpiece,someofthedialogueexchangesbetweenadocumentary

filmdirectorinaremoteKurdishvillage(Behzad)andalocalboywhoservesashis

guide(Farzad)werefilmedseparately,withtheresultthatthefollowingdialogueinthe

filmbetweenthesecharacterswasineffectapartialtranspositionofareallife

conversationbetweenKiarostamiandFarzadthatwasfilmed:
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Behzad:"Canyouanswermefrankly?"

Farzad:"Yes."

Behzad:"DoyouthinkI'mbad?"

Farzad(smiling):"No."

Behzad:"Areyousure?"

Farzad(assertively):"Yes."

Behzad:"Howcanyoubesure?"

Farzad(blushingagooddeal):"Iknow...you'regood."

Behzad(smilingbroadly):"Well,sinceI'mgood,canyougetmeabowltocarry
themilk?"

Ihadtoaskhimthatquestion,Kiarostamionceexplainedtomeinaninterview,

becausehedidntlikemeverymuch,incontrasttotheactor[BehzadDorani]whowas

playingthemaincharacter.So,headdedwithalaugh,thatswhyhewasntvery

convincingwhenhecalledmeagoodman.Therealmotivebehindthesequence,in

short,wasakindofautocritique,yetKiarostamiwashappytohidethisfactatleast

partiallybehindanarrativefiction.

InShirin,hecarriesthistechniquealotfurtherandinamoreradicaldirection,by

focusinghiscameraexclusivelyoncloseupsofwomenspectatorswhomwefirmly

believearewatchingafilminamovietheater,afilmwehearoffscreen.(These

spectatorsareplayedbymanyoftheleadingprofessionalactressesinIraniancinemaand

byJulietteBinoche.)Theillusioninfactisseamlessdespitethefactthattherewasno

movieandnomovietheater;Kiarostamifilmedeachoftheactressesinhisownliving
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roomandputtogetherthesoundtrackoftheimaginaryfilm,completewithdialogue,

soundeffects,andmusic,inasoundstudio.Theparadoxofthisintricateexperimentis

thatthefilmthatthesewomenaresupposedlywatchingiscommercialkitschbasedona

famousmedievalromanticpoem,KhosrowandShirin,byNezamiGanjavi(c.1141

1209).ItsalmostasifKiarostamiwererespondingtotheadviceofvariouscriticsand

colleaguesthathemakearealmoviewithfamousactors,aneasytofollowplot,music,

andsoon,bycreatinganimpossibleobjectthatissimultaneouslyallthese

thingsandnoneofthem,meanwhilefoolinguseverybitasadroitlyasHollywood

illusionismdoes.Thisisclearlywhythosemakingofdocumentariesthatarebecoming

soprominentnowadaysasDVDextras,whethermadebyKiarostamihimselforby

others,areespeciallyinterestingandrelevantinrelationtohiswork.AsFrench

filmmakerOlivierAssayaspointedoutina2003interview,discussingmainstream

cinema,theresbeenacuriousdualityinrecentyearswherebyaudiencesprefertobe

completelypassiveandoverpoweredbyfilmsthattheyseeincinemasandthen,afew

monthslater,becomeempoweredandinteractiveinrelationtowhattheyseeandhear

whentheybuyorrentthesamefilmsonDVD.Kiarostamisownfilmspartakeofthat

dualnatureevenwhentheyseektooverpowerthespectatorinamoreintimateway,asin

Five.InShirin,whichisaboutspectatorsbeingoverpoweredbywhattheyseeandhear

inapubliccinema,thisqualityisevenmorepronounced.

Yettofullyexperiencethisparadox,onewouldhavetoseeShirininatheaterwithother

spectators,andsofarIhaventbeenabletodothis.Imfarfromaloneinlivingwithsuch
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arestriction;mostpeopleinthewordarelivinginplaceswhereapublicscreeningof

Shirinwouldbeinconceivable,whereasorderingthefilmonDVDandseeingitathome

isclearlyawidespreadoption.(Itsalreadyavailableinseveraleditionsfromseparate

countries,andIacquiredtheEnglisheditionreleasedbytheBritishFilmInstituteasa

reviewerwellbeforeIwascommissionedtowritethelinernotesforCinemaGuildsU.S.

edition.)

CertifiedCopyfilmed,liketheTicketsepisode,inItaly,butthistimewithoutIranian

actorsoranyspokenPersianisinsomewaysanevenmoreradicalsubversionof

commercialcinema,althoughthistimeitinitiallyappearstobefarmoreconventional.A

visitingEnglishauthor(playedbyoperasingerWilliamShimell)goesonadaysouting

toavillageinTuscanywithalocalFrenchantiquesdealer(Binoche)hehasjustmet,

althoughtheysuddenlystarttobehaveasiftheywereanoldmarriedcouple,quarreling

astheyattempttocelebratetheiralleged15thweddinganniversary.Therelative

verisimilitude,alreadymadesomewhatprecariousbythepairingofanawkward

nonprofessionalactorwithagiftedprofessionalactor,becomesunhingedbythiscurious

charade,eventhoughwhatisbeingrepresentedmightseemmorerealthantheartificial

elementscomprisingShirin.

ThosewhohaveseenKiarostamisrarelyscreenedandhighlyuncharacteristicfirstfull

lengthfeature,Report(1977)anattempttodealfictionallywiththetraumaofthe

breakupofhisownmarriage(whichcostarredanonprofessionalactorwithaprofessional

stageactress,ShohrehAghdashloo,whowouldbenominatedforanOscar26yearslater)
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caneasilyregardthisfilmasamuchimprovedandtheoreticallyupgradedremake.One

mightevensaythatBinochegivesafarmoreaggressive(orattheveryleast,assertive)

starperformancethanAghdashloodidinReport,whichunderlinestheextenttowhich

alltheprofessionalactressesinShirinaregivingperformances,evenasalleged

spectators.

ThebehaviorandpsychologyofBinocheandShimellinCertifiedCopymaybepuzzling

andevenintractableinspotsasafictionincludinganopenendedfinalethatiseverybit

asunresolvedasinLifeandNothingMore,ThroughtheOliveTrees,andTasteofCherry

buttheemotionalissuesbeingexposedareinescapablyreal.(Reportwasmade

shortlybeforetheIranianRevolution,andKiarostamihasdescribeditasbeingabouta

revolutioninsidemyself.)

AlthoughKiarostamihasoftenbeencriticizedbothinsideandoutsideIranforhis

avoidanceofpoliticalsubjectsatleastinrelationtoMakhmalbafandotherswhohave

beendrivenintoexile,aswellasPanahionecouldargue,asIhaveelsewhere,thathis

unorthodoxrelationtocommercialnormshasalsoinspiredandempoweredthe

filmmakingpracticesofothers.WhetheritcansurviveinexileandonDVDare

obviouslynotthesamequestion,butbothquestionshoveroverhisworkwithhaunting

persistence.
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(fromTehranBureau,January4,2011)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/01/watchingkiarostami

filmsathome.html