Taste of Cherry

Taste of Cherry (1997)
a film by Abbas Kiarostami

It has taken me a while to digest Taste of Cherry. It is hard to form an objective opinion when words as exquisite, extraordinary and masterpiece surround this movie and it almost feels like The Emperor's New Clothes when I'm not highly stricken by this film, which nevertheless I found really beautiful and original.

The key in this movie are the photography and the silences. Both of those elements create the minimalist environment in which this story develops and which leads to a spiritual connection with the events happening on the screen.

The camera is almost steady in most of the scenes and although sometimes provides a bird's view of the winding road, it maintains the realistic point of view of a non-priviledged observer. This movie features beautiful mustard shades that turn into blue and always have the day light as a protagonist. It has really nice shots of the characters and sometimes it is completely detached from them creating reflection over the ideas that their dialogues are introducing.

This seems like a fill in the blank movie. The idea of spirituality that was induced on me was provided by the elements I found in the dialogues, but I'm pretty sure that the focus can easily change into more dramatic or simply stylistic as the movie provides free ground for the spectator to develop its own reflection.

Taste of Cherry is one of those movies that asks for a lot of attention and patience but that manages to develop a feeling of contemplation that is really powerful. I'm not surprise that this film divides the critic and the spectators as it gives enough of ground for an spiritual experience or endless boredom depending on your take. The last scene for me was a mix of a nice surprise with a slap in the face, but I guess there is some space for discussion too.