Yes, director Abbas Kiarostami is widely considered to be among the greatest contemporary filmmakers; and yes, Taste of Cherry, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1997 (in a tie with Shohei Imamura's The Eel) is generally agreed to be his masterpiece; and yes, as somebody who adored such previous Kiarostami films as Where Is the Friend's House?, And Life Goes On and Close-Up, it pains me to admit that, in this case, I can see more of the emperor's epidermis than is entirely seemly. I cannot tell a lie, however. The film involves a man who wants to commit suicide, and that minimal knowledge, in conjunction with the title, made me nervous. "Surely the great Kiarostami won't found an entire movie upon a facile homily," I thought. "Please tell me this isn't going to be a treatise asserting that life is worth living because, you know, it's so goshdarn beautiful." Well, it is. Call me an incorrigible cynic, but this theme strikes me as rather simpleminded; its prominence would have bothered me less had the film been packed with the kind of quiet but enthralling incidents that characterize Kiarostami's other films, but the forlorn protagonist's conversations with various potential helpers, alas, are largely banal. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)
Taste of Cherry
(Home Vision, 95 min., in Farsi w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.95) Vol. 14, Issue 3
Taste of Cherry
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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