Powerful and complex.

I love that the Iranian "Citizen Kane" isn't about a great man of industry, but a poor, slightly nutty cinephile, with dreams that are at once modest and deeply profound. The final scene flawlessly captures the appeal of the movies, at once totally fake and totally true.

The first of a long and ongoing sequence of truly great films from Kiarostami. On second thought, this could change, given that I have seen neither Where is the Friend's Home? nor Homework.

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A statement on the inability of documentaries to capture reality. Still, Close-up is absolutely a documentary, just one that intentionally indulges in the things that prevent many documentaries from capturing the objective facts about things (and becomes all the more fascinating because of this). Features the usual great things about Kiarostami - it's warm, compassionate, brimming with humanity.

Fascinating. Sabzian's scenes in the courtroom are depressing because of how unable he is to articulate why he did what he did, and the film works on numerous levels without ever feeling confusing. The end scene is brilliant.

"Close Up is still the definitive film-on-film commentary." - Ed Gonzalez

A unique and creative documentary / dramatization that is very interesting and surprisingly fun. The strange production is certainly part of what makes it interesting, but Sabzian is a compelling character whose bizarre logic is somehow understandable.

A must watch. The last third is just fantastically powerful and just dripping with humanity. I look forward to other AK films. As a side note, it's interesting to watch this immediately after Double vie de Veronique and see my favorite literary device of the unreliable narrator in film pop up twice in a row, and handled so differently--that's been one of the major points of every comparison between two instances I've ever written about.

To those who say post-modernism can have no heart, I say, watch this film.

I can easily say that Close-Up is one of the most unique and extremely well made films I've ever seen. It didn't hit me as hard as it hit alot of other people, but I can definitely see how well this film was made. Its such an interesting premise. The non-professional actors did an extremely professional job. I was truly touched by the performance of Hossain Sabzian, he really shows us both in words, and just by looking at his face, how strongly cinema impacts those who thrive off it. Excellent.

Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, Kiarostami offers a film that challenges assumptions about the nature of truth, the flexibility of image, and the importance of recognizing perspective. The film manages to be both intellectually stimulating and heartfelt at once. Sabzian is a fascinating subject for a film, and Kiarostami made the perfect formal choices to highlight both his falsity and his truth. Beautiful stuff.

An unusual and compelling film that will really make you scratch your head. One of the main points of interest here is the production itself. Some scenes in the film consist of real, live footage of the actual events that took place; other scenes are dramatizations, but featuring the actual people involved, "playing" themselves! The centerpiece of the movie is the personality of the impostor Sabzian himself and the way he rationalizes his actions.

Sabzian gives a very good performance (or "performance") in the lead role. He's quite touching.

Having the same real life people casted in the exact same setting to re-enact their own story is just something I still can't wrap my head around. Every scene is so gripping and intense because of this, and the documentary/fiction style it was shot in really adds a unique element to the film. There are some truly emotional moments here as layers of character and perspective unfold. A very interesting character study and one that lingers with you after it's over.

An incredibly novel premise: a semi-documentary, including reenactments by all the people involved, of the story of a man who impersonates director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. It's funny and touching and thoroughly engaging. It touches on identity, class, and cinema. When the microphone starts to cut out at the end, I wondered if it was Kiarostami's way of telling us that he, too, was only pretending at being a director, and the facade was breaking down.

Story of a dreamer whose obsession for cinema goes beyond the norms of society, told by Kiarostami in an unusual for of a film - some segments are staged and acted, and others are real. It is an artistic film, and doesn't go out of its way to be entertaining or informative. The way Kiarostami sees and portrays Sabzian is great; I felt emphatic to him, but I wish the movie told more about him in more direct way.

who is an actor? a director? what is the movie and what is reality? the story unfolds like a novel by paul auster, handled by the finesse few masters like kiarostami. beautiful film making with poetic and mind tickling imagery are to key words to this fine piece of art.

Brilliant semi-documentary in which Kiarostami challenges our usual expectations about life and art and produces a warm and prescient human and social commentary.

One of my alltime favorite films