Cinematic Point Of View

I’m on an Abbas Kiarostami kick right now. His films are giving me life.

This morning I watched his 1990 masterpiece Close-Up. It’s the extraordinary true story of Hossain Sabzian, a man so in love with cinema that he impersonates an Iranian director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and tries to convince a family they could star in his next movie.

Where to begin? There are so many levels going on in this film. I’ll try to unpack as much as possible without spoiling. I think knowing some of the details before going in will make the experience even better.

The film opens with a reporter riding along in a cab, with a couple of police officers, on the way to arrest Hossain Sabzian at the home of the Ahankhah family. The reporter does his best to explain the situation, how unique it is and what huge story it’s going to be for him. This whole scene sets up the documentary style and feel of what will shortly unfold.

After they arrive at the residence, the police and reporter go inside and the film stays with the cab driver. It’s the first moment of peace and quiet in the film after a somewhat manic, talkative drive.

The man stands and has a smoke. A cat walks by in the background. A jet flies by miles and miles above him. He gets out his vehicle and pulls some flowers from a pile of rubble near the curb. He dusts the flowers off and places them inside his cab.

Looking back on this moment, it feels like reclaiming the flowers is a symbolic act of redemption. Finding beauty in second chances.

The man sees a spray paint can on the ground and gives it a gentle kick sending it rolling slowly down the empty, quiet street. A small act of defiance.

I love this moment so much.

He returns to his cab as the police escort Hossain Sabzian, and the reporter, from the residence. The story begins.

The film itself is blend of documentary and reenactment. These aren’t actors. Kiarostami uses all of the real-life people. This is the real Hossain Sabzian, the man who impersonated filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. These are the real Ahankhah family members (the victims of the impersonation). This is the real reporter and the real judge that was present at the trial. They are all playing themselves, reenacting the events that lead up to Sabzian’s arrest and everything that happens directly after.

The lines between fiction and reality are blurred to an extent that I’ve never experienced before. Kiarostami asks you to ponder so many questions through this film. Layer upon layer.

How does art influence life? Do you feel differently about Sabzian after watching this film? How does his social class relate to a sense of identity? What is truth? Does truth simply stop at a statement or does it require a deeper commitment to understanding?

Hossain Sabzian is an incredible actor. (Everyone does a great job, by the way) As I didn’t know much about the circumstances before I watched this movie, I was constantly questioning if this was a real moment or simply acting.

There are so many scenes that you can see real reflection happening through Sabzian’s eyes and words. Much different from your standard bit of acting. I don’t know. To do what he did and then get together with everyone and go through it again as a perforance is just something else entirely. It will reveal things to you.

There is a moment where the judge asks him why he chose to impersonate a director rather than actor? Sabzian responds, and I’m paraphrasing, that isn’t a director an actor too?

We’re all acting and playing are parts in a one way or another aren’t we? Roles given at birth or through our work or as a parent? What does that say about reality?

The ending is a chef’s kiss that I won’t spoil here.

For better or worse, I felt a real connection to Sabzian and his deep passion for cinema and how it shaped his choices. I’ve always turned to movies to helps me process my own feelings and see the world and cultures in different ways. It’s a life long love that became a real coping mechanism after my eye injury as a kid. I see a wounded child in Hossain Sabzian too. I see the actions of a lost soul longing to be seen as more than he is. To be treated with respect and feel understood. I think that a lot of people could probably relate to that feeling. Empathy achieved and unlocked.

On the Criterion blu-ray there is a documentary that I highly recommend watching after the film. They catch up with everyone in the story and interview people who have known Sabzian their whole life. It will further enrich your understanding of the film and demonstrates the effect it had on Iranian culture and at the time.

Kiarostami is the master at using film to humanize situations, and peel back one more layer, so we can see something closer to reality. That’s the beauty of art, I think, and Close-Up is a one-of-a-kind artistic masterpiece in my book.

Have you seen Close-Up? Leave me a comment. I would love to hear your perspective!