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Close-Up

Play trailer Poster for Close-Up 1999 1h 38m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
While reading a novel by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf on the bus, Ali Sabzian strikes up a conversation with a pretty girl, Mahrokh Ahankhah. When she tells him her family admires Makhmalbaf's work, Ali pretends to be the filmmaker to impress her. Becoming friendly with the Ahankhahs, Ali tells them he is preparing a new movie, but when they uncover his true identity, he is arrested for fraud. This film reenacts the true story of the incident, with Ali and the family playing themselves.
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Close-Up

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker In Kiarostami's furiously clear view, religious dogma suppresses the eye's observations through the dictate of the word; his calmly unwavering images, with their wry humor and generous sympathy, have the force of a steadfast resistance. May 8, 2017 Full Review Keith Uhlich Time Out The meanings of Close-Up shift, subtly and profoundly, with every viewing; the only certainty is that its rewards are boundless. Rated: 5/5 Mar 24, 2010 Full Review Gary Dowell Dallas Morning News Successfully blends fact with fiction to produce a work more compelling than any of today's infotainment programs. Rated: B Apr 11, 2002 Full Review Julian Singleton Cinapse Close-Up is an impressive meditation on how life imitating art eventually becomes it. Jul 12, 2025 Full Review Susan Sontag Artforum Iranian cinema has been the great revelation of the last decade. Close Up is my (and, I’ve heard, Kiarostami’s) favorite of his films. May 2, 2024 Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel The gauzy, overlapping layers of identity and performance that Kiarostami uncovered in Close-Up still tantalize. Rated: 4/5 Aug 3, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Michael R Are you kidding me? This is ranked among the best films ever produced? Those with such sentiments must certainly be grading on some Bizarro world sort of curve I am unaware of and can't possibly understand. Tedious, vacuous, voyeuristic, simple-minded, boring, inexplicable, never-ending...just a few of the words that come to mind after slogging through this "film" courtesy of TCM. If I want to peek in at someone who is mentally ill, I will revert to Randle Patrick McMurphy and his crew. At least they were entertaining. This was a long slog through a shallow slough, one not worth taking. Avoid!!! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/22/24 Full Review Faiz k I wanted to specially highlight something. The imposter sabzian was brutally honest and accepted what he did wrong and also his love for art was so honest and his intentions for the family was not bad. He even says that he would have gone as far as it will go. And voila mehrdad the son wanted to act in the movie and here he is in one of the best movie ever. It was all possible due to abbas korastami and also sabzians honesty and love for arts and intentions. I like the fact when the mother says let him finish the food Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/19/24 Full Review Audience Member Breathtakingly audacious in its concept. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/10/24 Full Review Dark H That had to be the most boring, useless waste of film I have ever seen. I had to watch this for a film class and I'll never get that time back. Awful story, amateur acting by non actors. Maybe I'm missing something but this made me want to gouge my eyes out. It made no sense at all. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review Dani G Of all Kiarostami movies I've seen (8 of them now), this is my least favorite. It's just that it's not a very attractive story. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/12/23 Full Review Donald J A seminal film that blurs the line of documentary and narrative features, Kiarostami's masterpiece is something that you won't forget. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Close-Up

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Cast & Crew

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Abbas Kiarostami

Director

Hossain Sabzian

Self

Hassan Frazmand

Reporter

Abolfazi Ahankhah

Self

Mehrdad Ahankhah

Self

Hooshang Shamaei

Taxi Driver

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Close-Up

Close-Up (1990) Close-Up (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis While reading a novel by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf on the bus, Ali Sabzian strikes up a conversation with a pretty girl, Mahrokh Ahankhah. When she tells him her family admires Makhmalbaf's work, Ali pretends to be the filmmaker to impress her. Becoming friendly with the Ahankhahs, Ali tells them he is preparing a new movie, but when they uncover his true identity, he is arrested for fraud. This film reenacts the true story of the incident, with Ali and the family playing themselves.
Director
Abbas Kiarostami
Screenwriter
Abbas Kiarostami
Distributor
Celluloid Dreams
Production Co
The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
Persian
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 31, 1999, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.7K
Runtime
1h 38m
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