Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
1994 Movie
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami · France, Iran · Persian
Abbas Kiarostami plays with reality and fiction in the bemusing final installment of the Koker trilogy
We’ve heard of films within a film, but it’s crazy how many layers Through the Olive Trees operates in. Writer-director Abbas Kiarostami completes his metanarrative journey in the Koker trilogy through a slice-of-life comedy about a couple in the periphery of the previous installment And Life Goes On. As the young man Hossein repeats his plea for marriage to Tahereh, casted as his wife, the insistence can be slightly grating, but in doing so, the everyday dealings of the Iranian village hint at what’s underneath– the earthquake from four years ago that still shapes their lives, the socioeconomic and culture barriers, and the mirrored struggle of creating the artistic vision of the film within the film.
When the actor in a scene for his film Life And Nothing More… has to quit, a film director casts another man for the part. However, complications arise since the man and the woman who was cast for the scene know each other.
"The entries in this multi-layered trilogy are short and sweet, but when consumed together, you get an explosion of flavours that only a master chef could put together."
— Wael Khairy
During the production of a film, the local stonemason-turned-male lead pines for the woman cast as his wife, much to the dismay of the director caught in the middle.
The ambiguous ending. In ending the film this way, Kiarostami puts the answer up in the air, but also frees both the audience and Tahereh to give their true response, one that’s unburdened by cultural norms, peer pressure, and saving face, something that is only possible alone and at a distance.
It’s absolutely ridiculous yet brilliant to make a film, and then to make another film make the previous one fictional, and then to make a film centered on a pair of characters in the film that makes the first film fictional.
Cannes
1 nom
Spirit Awards
1 nom
NYFCC
1 nom
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Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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