(Originally written March 4, 2005)

Never have I seen a film as challenging as this film in terms of staying awake and maintaining any trace of interest. The main character is looking for someone to help him commit suicide. This film takes its time, often forgetting that it has an audience to keep interested. The slowness is not worth it, culminating in an ending that is open, try and uninspiring. The film has its moments of beauty, hinting at the small things in life with its images. The film was stripped down to the barest essentials to say something meaningful but, unfortunately, it stripped away too much and did not have much to say. There was no reason to relate to the main character, and his driving around was a contrived metaphor for his self-discovery on the path to his grave. The film meanders just as the character drifts looking for someone willing to help him die and never establishes an emotional core the audience can relate to. Director Kiarostami tries too hard to test his audience both philosophically and artistically and ends up pushing more people away that it takes in. The footage of the film crew at the very end of the film was impenetrable. It was pointless and added absolutely nothing to the film except a postmodern finishing touch to this overrated cinematic wasteland. In the end, the film amounts to nothing except an important unanswered question about life, pretty images, and a potential nap.