Movie: CLOSE UP (Iranian)
Director: ABBAS KIAROSTAMI
Year: 1999
Country: Iran
Genre: Drama, Documentary
Cast: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Duration: 1h 30m (app)

Based on a True Story, Abbas Kiarostami directs CLOSE-UP, the story of a cinephile who in his deperation to get involved with the art impersonats himself as director ‘Mohsen Makhmalbaf’ enacting his part as an actor being a director. CLOSE-UP proves to be yet another movie in the league of those path-breaking movies that prove - boundaries for cinema are just not there.

This docu-drama involves the real case of fraud on Hossain Sabzian who enters into a family on the pretext of being a famous director with the intention of filming in their house and casting their son as an actor.

The whole movie has a feel of a documentary despite holding onto the reins of the Movie Format. The scripting of the movie deserves a definite applause with some wonderful work by the director in making the whole production highlight the notion of the genuine human tendency to reach out to the passions of the heart at any cost. All the characters play as themselves in the movie with the real director Makhmalbaf making an appearance at the end.

Kiarostami has made sure of the movie to be portrayed very realistic and hence the occasional blurs and distortions with the shaky cameras of documentary-kinda shots along with the real life character-actors makes the whole movie carve the niche where he has wanted it to be.

The occasional music provides the necessary cinematic emotions and the final piece of violin hits just the right note emoting the innocence behind the impersonation of Sabzian. CLOSE-UP not only showcases the suffering of a man unable to follow his desires but proves that the ‘realms’ for Cinema is just an illusion and it needs people like him to break it.

COMMENTS
A must-see for movie lovers.

TAGLINE
Path-Breaking!

GRADING
OVERALL: A-

RATING: 8.5 / 10.0