Close Up – Nema-ye Nazdik (1990)

Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami | 98 minutes | biography, drama, crime, documentary | Actors: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Monoochehr Ahankhah, Hossain Farazmand, Abbas Kiarostami

Many dream of a career as an actor or director. But how far can a man go to fulfill his wish? Hossain Sabzian, a poor Iranian living in the great Tehran, is a cinephile at heart and a big fan of the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Sabzian sees his chance to pose as Makhmalbaf during a bus ride. He misleads the Ahankhah family and is eventually arrested for fraud. Director Abbas Kiarostami comes across the story in the newspaper and immediately decides to make it his new project.

The remarkable thing about this film is that not only is it true, but Kiarostami also uses real footage from Sabzian’s lawsuit. The characters in ‘Close-Up’ are not actors. Director Kiarostami speaks with Sabzian in the cell and asks him for permission to use his case for his film. The judge’s verdict is still unclear to everyone.

Despite Sabzian having to appear in court for impersonating his idol, Kiarostami gives him the opportunity to fulfill his dream. Sabzian and the Ahankhah family he cheated on reenact the fraud. Everyone in this movie plays themselves. Sabzian’s criminal activity ensures that he gets what he’s always wanted; a role in a film by a well-known director.

This combination of documentary and feature film makes ‘Close-Up’ an extremely unique film. Without knowing Sabzian’s background and motivations, it is difficult to distinguish what has been played and what has not. This makes Kiarostami bring the magic of film to life even more. For him, it doesn’t really matter what is real or fake, it’s about the story and what it does to the viewer. Sabzian is not a criminal at all, but a poor man chasing his dream. The cinephile who watches this film can most likely empathize with Sabzian’s train of thought. He has to support his family and unhappy wife. His life revolves around survival, an existence of uncertainty and sadness. Film is his form of escapism. He would prefer to live in a fictional movie. The moment he gets the chance to be someone else, namely a successful director, he has no doubts. This is his breakthrough, his scene.

‘Close-Up’ is not an exciting or exciting film. It is a work that allows the viewer to be a ‘fly on the wall’. There is a ‘Sabzian’ in everyone, but the question is how far we want to go to live a different life. Sabzian’s story is forever on film, his greatest dream.