Diary entries forLife, and Nothing More…
Life, and Nothing More…
Kiarostami turns disaster into quiet poetry. Through broken roads and soft conversations, we see life go on — not with drama, but with grace. Fiction blurs into reality, and what remains is a calm, deeply human reminder: survival doesn’t have to shout to be heard.
Life, and Nothing More…
عباس عن حواراته التي تدور داخل السيارة : "غالباً ما ألاحظ أننا لا نكون قادرين على النظر إلى ما يوجد أمامنا إلا إذا كان بداخل إطار" " استعمال كاميرا ثابتة في مكان متنقل كالسيارة، هي مكاني المفضل، مقعدان مريحان، وحوار في غاية الحميمة بين شخصين، يجلسان بجوار بعضهما وليس قبالة بعضهما، دون أن يضطر أحدهما إلى النظر في عينيّ الآخر. إنهما في هذه الحالة يتواصلان على نحو أفضل. للصمت في السيارة منطق مختلف. بوسعك أن تنظر إلى الخارج، لكن هذا لا يعني أن الحوار انتهى" جمالية ونقاء سينما عباس شيء ليس له مثيل
Life, and Nothing More…
the follow up to “where is the friend’s house?” that’s linked to that previous film in a more meta sort of way. mixing both fictionalized and real elements, it crafts a similarly human story, this time about moving on in the face of a tragic event. there’s some great little vignettes where we see these brief encounters with various survivors of the earthquake that show how everyone has their own things going on in life, even though people tend to overlook that fact from time to time. it’s a melancholic film, but also hopeful at the same time.
Life, and Nothing More…
Hay algo de lo mundano que a Kiarostami le encanta mostrar y que no siempre entiendo del todo. Esta película es más contemplativa y muestra esperanza en lugares donde uno menos esperaría encontrarla. La gente acaba de perderlo todo en el terremoto y aún así encuentran razones para seguir adelante; religión, amor, fútbol, el simple deseo de vivir. Y una vez más, Kiarostami logra meter momentos de inocencia cuando los niños hacen preguntas que demuestran que no dimensionan la magnitud de las pérdidas que acaban de sufrir. Me llama la atención la idea de que aceptar la muerte como parte de la vida es gran parte de la superación. Además de jugar con elementos de metacine, esta película empezó con las conversaciones fugaces que Kiarostami llegaría a perfeccionar en Taste of Cherry.
Life, and Nothing More…
On Mubi as: And Life Goes On… Had me from the first scene: tollbooth, cars passing by, radio on to let us know the situation, the protagonist entering, getting to know this isn’t most likely his first try since he already asked the question about the highway the previous day, and then the story&camera going with him. I really like how Abbas Kiarostami & Homayun Payvar filmed this, everything from the kid doing the camera gesture from his hand and it cutting to the passing landscape through the window, mentioning that the bus tunnel is near soon followed by the opening credits with the light passing over him so it’s dark enough that the white titles stand out and also dynamic enough, not pausing their journey, to someone mentioning that big fissures have opened up on the road and then them reaching that point and it showing us that from distance as the protag talks to people and tries to figure out what to do next to the last scene. Idk I just liked the vibe of the filmmaking, it really felt we were along for the journey. And i don’t know how much is fiction and how much is doc/real, but everything feels true, from the interactions the dad and the kid have in the car to the interactions they have with everyone else they stop to ask for directions and the state of things at Koker, and that scene of them stopping for cold drink but the shopkeeper being busy dealing with what the earthquake did to his shop, saying this is not the time and Puya making them stop for cold drink again and complaining that it’s warm, to the conversation Farhad Kheradmand’s character has with a newly-wed guy — you can imagine a whole movie centered around his days leading up to, and following the earthquake, watching things unfold from his pov. Can definitely feel and see that this film was made with a lot of heart, and has a curious, non judgmental, loving gaze. Idk I like how Abbas Kiarostami sees the world in this.
Life, and Nothing More…
"God doesn't enjoy killing people." "No one appreciate youth until they grow old or life until they stare death in the face. If the dead could come back and live again they'd surely live better lives." FINALLY I FINISHED THE KOKER TRILOGY!!! The simplicity of Abbas Kiarostami is managed to touch the deepest part of my soul. What a movie! What a trip! P.S. If you wanna watch this movie make sure you've watched Where's the Friend's House and Through the Olive Tree before.
