By There are many great poets in Iran’s history, and sadly, it’s time we say goodbye to one of the best, Iranian filmmaker and poet Abbas Kiarostami.
Kiarostami began his work in 1970, when revolutionary sentiment in Iran pushed the nation towards theocracy, and further away from the liberal-thinking cinematic revolution that had gripped Kiarostami and much of the rest of the world.
In his time, Kiarostami was a stunning visual poet, a born auteur, and an artistic rebel. During decades which saw artistic and cultural repression under the reign of Khomeini and later Ahmadinejad, Kiarostami ran headlong into taboo subjects, tackling religious and societal questions the establishment refused to ask.
Kiarostami ran headlong into taboo subjects, tackling religious and societal questions the establishment refused to ask.
I was first introduced to Kiarostami’s work as a naive film student. I took a film theory class, one which included international directors and foreign films. Upon hearing we were to review a film made in Iran, I remember thinking that the film would likely be laced with conservative Islamic propaganda; a result of the artistic climate of Iran if not of the director’s own fundamentalist ideals.
I am so very happy I was wrong.
Watching “Taste of Cherry,” I felt I was in the presence of a humble cinematic genius. While subtle and dream-like, “Taste of Cherry” is also brazen and real. Kiarostami’s examination of suicide, of life and death, likely won him no points with the Iranian censorship board. While there is nothing that would seem overtly triggering to the “haram police,” Kiarostami’s exploration of suicide was (and is) absolutely taboo, not just in Iran, but in many Muslim communities. While many Muslims are simply taught that suicide is an abominable sin, Kiarostami argues, through his utterly relatable protagonist Mr. Badi, that suicide and the desire to commit self-murder are part of the human condition. The loss of hope, the death of the spirit before the body, the absolute bitterness of life, are worth examining, and are best examined by Kiarostami.
The loss of hope, the death of the spirit before the body, the absolute bitterness of life, are worth examining, and are best examined by Kiarostami.
Kiarostami’s extensive body of work slyly skirts the Iranian Board of Censorship’s rules, exploring the subjects of love, loss, friendship, war, and innocence. Heavily influenced by the French New Wave, Kiarostami often breaks the fourth wall, drawing the attention of the audience to the fact that they are watching a film. With fluid camera movements, unscripted dialogue, and a sincere rather than flashy aesthetic, Kiarostami draws us into the dream world of his films, and then shows the film crew, even himself on camera, shattering the illustrious and throwing us violently back into our own hardened world.
Kiarostami does this with great intention. Kiarostami’s films are not just entertainment: they are communication, rebellion, provocation.
After watching Kiarostami’s film, I realized what I had been fed about the people of Iran was a gross misjudgement. While their government may be authoritarian and theocratic, the people of Iran are best reflected in the attitudes and aesthetics of Kiarostami’s films.
The people of Iran are beautiful rebels.
While their government may be authoritarian and theocratic, the people of Iran are best reflected in the attitudes and aesthetics of Kiarostami’s films. The people of Iran are beautiful rebels.
As their nation bore some of the world’s greatest singers and scientists, Iranians still follow in the footsteps of lustful poets like Rumi and questioners like Kiarostami. Often forced to practice their art in secret or subversive manners, Iranian artists like Kiarostami are not only passionate, they are tactful and intelligent craftspeople.
Often forced to practice their art in secret or subversive manners, Iranian artists like Kiarostami are not only passionate, they are tactful and intelligent craftspeople.
Following in the vein of Kiarostami, other revolutionary filmmakers have arisen from the bleakness of Iran’s post-revolutionary days to challenge, aggressively or cunningly, the boundaries set forth by a narrow-minded political elite. Their artistic rebellion may diminish their “Muslim-ness,” their loyalty to Iran in the eyes of the critical totalitarian government, but these artists may, for their passion and their fervor, be truer Muslims, and truer citizens of Iran than those who would jail them for artistic expression. The Quran itself compels us to ask questions, to study creation, to marvel at life and simple things like the taste of cherry.
Their artistic rebellion may diminish their “Muslim-ness,” their loyalty to Iran in the eyes of the critical totalitarian government, but these artists may, for their passion and their fervor, be truer Muslims, and truer citizens of Iran than those who would jail them for artistic expression.
Though the legendary Kiarostami has died, his films live on in the hearts and minds of millions. While he was a revolutionary filmmaker, Kiarostami and his ilk are not new to Iran, they are simply the newest generation in a long line of many philosophers, writers, and rebels. All at once, Abbas Kiarostami has become the tradition and the future of 21st century Iran.