Taste of Cherry

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Taste of Cherry

1998

1h 38m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

40 Reviews

83%

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5,000+ Ratings

A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student (Mir Hossein Noori), asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.

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Critics Consensus

Taste of Cherry's somewhat simple aesthetic belies a richly ambiguous character study with an impressively ambitious thematic scale.

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Keith Uhlich

House Next Door

Taste of Cherry might be Kiarostami's most difficult film.

Mar 6, 2007

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John Hartl

Film.com

Has a visual style that seems rudimentary but becomes increasingly hypnotic and resonant.

Jul 24, 2001

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

The film's ambiguous ending has enough possible interpretations to fuel at least a dozen post-screening arguments. Others may just want to flee the scene and allow our enigmatic hero to go gentle into that good night.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

It’s minimalist, it’s self-reflexive...[audiences] may be very receptive to Kiatrosami’s philosophical approach to living and dying.

Mar 7, 2023

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Wael Khairy

The Cinephile Fix

“Taste of Cherry” doesn’t argue for or against the concept of suicide, but it does ask for a compassionate view on the desire to do so.

Sep 28, 2022

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Attains a kind of haunting mysticism, profoundly shifting the audience's perception of reality. It's Kiarostami's finest work, and one of the best films of the 1990s.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 9, 2020

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Nebiyu M

A slow, beautiful film that makes you sit with your own thoughts. It’s quiet, emotional, and honest, like a long drive that makes you question what really matters. The ending doesn’t give answers, just peace.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/03/25

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Dani G

This was the first film I watched of Kiarostami's filmography, many years ago, and it made an impact on me. Powerful philosopical drama

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/24

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Leaburn O

A brilliant film. Captivating because you can't help but put yourself in their shoes. And then the ending could have gone a million different ways whilst still being captivating. The set up to the denouement is brilliant and whilst the ending may be lacklustre, it remains entirely valid. My one quibble is that the main protagonist simply doesn't act like someone exhibiting suicidal angst in any way shape or form which diminishes the impact a little. The premise wins over n the end. Iran has produced many brilliant low budget films and this Palme D'Or winner is one of them. They rely on brilliant screenplay in the manner of the classic Hollywood films and it never grows old. Watched on YouTube.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

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Alejandro E

Narrated as if it were a documentary, it intelligently addresses a rather delicate topic: suicide. Without the support of a musical score, and a mysterious ending that does not provoke indifference, it is one of many good examples of Middle Eastern cinema.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

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Siriporn P

Almost good but the ending is abrupt and irrelevant at all.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Ikiru Y

An overrated bore. Arthouse pretense.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

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Abbas Kiarostami

Director

Homayoun Ershadi

Mr. Badii

Abdolrahman Bagheri

Mr. Bagheri

Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari

Soldier

Safar Ali Moradi

The Soldier

Mir Hossein Noori

The seminarian

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Synopsis

A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii (Homayoun Ershadi) is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student (Mir Hossein Noori), asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.

Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Producer: Abbas Kiarostami
Screenwriter: Abbas Kiarostami
Distributor: Zeitgeist Films
Production Co: Abbas Kiarostami Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 1998, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $253.0K
Runtime: 1h 38m
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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