Taste of Cherry (Kiarostami, 1997): Mini-Film Review

Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami's exploration of film creation and narrative manipulation are perhaps best displayed in Taste of Cherry (even though I like Kiarostami's must-see Close-Up even more due to its use of tone, color, and especially its characters). Taste of Cherry seems to ask if we watch movies in order to witness narrative resolution or creation -- if its the former then there is no hope for the viewer, if it is the latter, maybe there is no hope for the idea of the film's protagonist. No other film is quite as successful at both instigating this question and leaving it unresolved.