Close-Up - 1990
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami
An emotionally unstable man convinces a well-to-do family that he is the famous director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Director Kiarostami blends reenactments of the events that have unfolded, interviews with the people involved, and actual footage from the trial of the would-be Makhmalbaf to create a compelling story of desperation and redemption.
Color, 1 hour 40 minutes, Farsi
Original Title: Nema-ye-Nazdik
Trailer currently not available, Watch Scene (Farsi w/English subtitles)
Star Rating
Firouzan Rank # 3
Cast
| Hossein Sabzian | As Himself |
| Aboulfazl Ahankhah | As Himself |
| Mehrdad Ahankhah | As Himself |
| Nair Mohseni Zanoozi | As Herself |
| Ahmad Reza Moied Mohseni | As Himself |
| Mohsen Makhmalbaf | As Himself |
| Manouchehr Ahankhah | As Himself |
| Mahrokh Ahankhah | As Herself |
| Hossein Farazmand | As Himself |
Crew
| Writer | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Director | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Producer | Ali Reza Zarrin |
| Director of Photography | Ali Reza Zarrindoust |
| Sound Recordist | Ahmad Asghari Mohammad Haghighi |
| Editor | Abbas Kiarostami |
| Sound Mixer | Chengiz Seyyed |
Pictures
Kiarostami interviews the victimized family.
Kiarostami interviews Bogus Makhmalbaf - "Could you make a film about my suffering?"
Stating the case of attempted fraud.
The defendant listens to the charges against him.
The judge patiently runs his courtroom.
The phony Makhmalbaf notices a change in the family's behavior.
Calmly waiting for his own arrest.
Meeting the real Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Director and impostor riding to see the family that was deceived.
"He'll make us proud of him."
DVD
External Reviews
By Stephen Holden The New York Times
In one film after another, the great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami twists around the equation that the author Neal Gabler calls "Life: The Movie" to make films whose aesthetic might be described as "The Movie: Life." Mr. Kiarostami's films frequently feature non-actors playing themselves in un-glamorized reconstructions of actual events. And in his brilliant, knotty 1990 film "Close-Up," which has its New York theatrical premiere today at the Screening Room, those reconstructions are seamlessly embedded in a documentary about the trial of Hossein Sabzian, a young man arrested on charges of fraud. Continued
By David Walsh World Socialist Website
The availability of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s 1990 film, "Close-Up," on DVD and VHS is a welcome event. It offers those not residing in a handful of large cities or able to attend film festivals the possibility of viewing this remarkable work.
Kiarostami (born 1940) was inspired to make the film when he came across a news item about a young man, Hossein Sabzian, who passed himself off to an upper middle class family in Teheran as the well-known film director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Sabzian gained the family’s confidence and convinced its various members that he wanted to make a film with their participation. After his exposure and arrest, Sabzian was accused of setting the family up for a burglary. Continued
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