Close-Up

I finally caught up with what is frequently referred to as Abbas Kiarostami’s masterpiece. I’ve seen a lot of his films and others of the Iranian New Wave, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s. And while the news is abuzz with strategies, military or diplomatic, on how to deal with this charter member of the “Axis of Evil” and its new loose-cannon president and revived nuclear program, it is a good idea to watch something that normalizes rather than demonizes the Iranian people. This self-referential amusement is utterly simple and yet as infinitely complicated as an image in facing mirrors. It’s enjoyable at first viewing, but I’m quite sure reveals ever-receding depths on subsequent consideration. The story of an unemployed baker and film fan, who is mistaken for Makhmalbaf but then assumes the director’s identity and is eventually arrested for fraud, the film is an undefinable quasi-documentary of apparently real trial footage (fascinating for its portrayal of the Iranian justice system) mixed with re-creation of the preceding events using the actual subjects as actors. This is one of the great films about the making and the loving of movies, though miles apart from Day for Night or 8 1/2. It is also highly revealing about economics and class in Iran, and ponders questions of appearance and reality, truth and justice. It’s strange, but not at all a chore to watch. (1989, dvd, n.) *8*