Close-Up
Nema-ye Nazdik
Iran
1990
98 Min
Color
1.33:1
Persian
Synopsis
“A frustrated young film-buff, who had been posing as Mohsen Makhmalbaf, gets arrested”.
These headlines in Tehran daily papers was coupled with the following story: “The accused passing himself off as the celebrated film director, entered the life of a well-to-do family with the ostensible intention of wanting to make a film with their participation. All this has apparently been an excuse for exploring the family house and planning for burglary which was forestalled with the man’s arrest.”
The news provided Kiarostami with the basic idea for a semi-documentary film entitled “Close-up”. Kiarostami visited the accused in prison, contacted people at the judiciary department and obtained permission to shoot the court proceedings. He set up two cameras at the court: one with wide-angle lens to record the trial, and the other one with a close-up lens to probe into the psychological truth of the case.
Director
Abbas Kiarostami
Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career as a filmmaker at the age of 30. Since then he has made many movies and has become one of the most important figures in contemporary Iranian film. He is also a major figure in the arts world, and has had numerous gallery exhibitions of his photography, short films and poetry. He is an iconic figure for what he has done, and he has achieved it all by believing in the arts and the creativity of his mind. —World Cinema Foundation
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Cameron Casper and cowhead like this
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christopherjohn
18Oct11
This story is so achingly beautiful. No fiction compares to the curiousness of real people.
Josh Hansen and rado like this
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Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
Out of the Past: Five Old Flames
By Ryland Walker Knight on January 12, 2011
We at MUBI think that celebrating the films of 2010 should be a celebration of film viewing in 2010. Since all film and video is "old" one
The Forgotten: 1001 Nights at the Cinema
By David Cairns on October 21, 2010
"Plant rice if you want to harvest in a year. Plant trees to get fruit in ten. Cultivate a person to develop in a hundred years. The cinema
Kiarostami @ 70, "Red Desert," "Night Train to Munich" and More DVDs
By David Hudson on June 22, 2010
"There was no better filmmaker working at the dawn of the twenty-first century than Abbas Kiarostami," argued Michael J Anderson back
"The Eclipse," "Bluebeard," "Chloe" and More
By David Hudson on March 26, 2010
But first, New York's Film Forum is marking the 20th anniversary of Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up with a one-week run for a new 35mm print
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009: Watching the Watchers ("Shirin," Kiarostami, Iran)
By David Cairns on June 23, 2009
Abbas Kiarostami's Shirin continues his journey into the avant-garde world of Five Dedicated to Ozu, his 2003 excursion into long take minimalist
Abbas Kiarostami's CLOSE-UP Blu-Ray Review
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
The DVD and Blu-Ray of Abbas Kiarastomi’s 1990 film Close-up serendipitously follows the premiere of his latest work, Certified Copy, at Cannes in 2010. Close-up is a subtle, complex film that demands
Abbas Kiarostami's CLOSE-UP Blu-Ray Review
By Twitchfilm.net on June 19, 2010
The DVD and Blu-Ray of Abbas Kiarastomi’s 1990 film Close-up serendipitously follows the premiere of his latest work, Certified Copy, at Cannes in 2010. Close-up is a subtle, complex film that demands
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Reviews
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Close-up
By asuraf on August 22, 2010
In a remarkably complex bit of stunt film-making, Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami re-stages the trial of Hossain Sabzian, a poor worker who passes himself off as a famous film director for seemingly unknown…
I want to be someone else or I'll explode
By All Is Grace on March 5, 2010
How can I describe this masterpiece? I’ve spent so much time in my life till now, watching different movies from different countries, never thought I would be moved by a film from my very own region… read review
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2 discussion topics.
Close-Up on Criterion?
2 posts by 2 people
about 1 month ago
If you could pretend to be any director for a family of unknowing movie goers (Like In "Close Up") who would it be?
8 posts by 7 people
6 months ago