Abbas Kiarostami and Iranian Meta-Cinema

Films mentioned in this video:
Close-Up
Where is My Friend's House
Life and Nothing More
Through the Olive Trees
Taste of Cherry
Like Someone in Love
24 Frames
The Mirror
This is Not a Film
Taxi
Follow me on Letterboxd - letterboxd.com...
Main Channel - / makingshorts
Support -
Patreon: / joelhaver
Paypal: bit.ly/2ZI7uff
Merch - joelstuff.store
Social -
Instagram: / joelhaver
Twitter: / joelhaver
Drawings: / joeldrawsandwriteshaver
I love movies

[@abolfazlkhosravi2563]

I would love to hear your thoughts on new Iranian cinema. I live in Iran and in recent years the strict rules you talked about have gotten ten times stricter now film and tv are basically government propoganda machines. You can literally count how many times ideological slogans are in a movie they are not even trying to be subtle anymore

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I’d definitely be curious to check it out! That’s a damn shame, hopefully artists continue to find ways to create moving art in that rigid system.

[@tommymarco]

this is starting to happen in the west as well . big films are becoming tools of the government

[@ruairi7775]

I know you always match the aspect ratio of the movies you review, but is the camera visible in the mirror in this one a nod to the meta-cinema genre? Lovely touch haha

[@guyinplaid3472]

What a coincidence! I just watched Taste of Cherry, and thought it was a fascinating watch. I'm definitely going to explore Kiarostamis filmography, because I don't think I've ever seen something quite like that movie. It seemed to have a better understanding of how people think than most other pieces of art I've seen, in the sense that people are stubborn and stuck in their ways, good or bad.

[@kasrashirvanian5980]

Because of my government I often avoid saying I'm Iranian but in times like this courtesy to these great men and few other people I feel proud to say it . I recommend watching works of Asghar Farhadi if you want to experience newer Iranian cinema , I am a movie enthusiastic and someone who have made a few sketchs and short films as hobby projects and self studied this artcraft. Movies were a huge part of Iranian culture, it used to be a must, to watch a movie on weekends, especially in capital city , now days sadly they are rarely good , out of around 100 movies that come each year barely 5 are really good and meaningfull and I kinda stopped watching Iranian films , I just watch old ones or occasionally with friends or if someone really recommends one of them , the movie makeing in Iran now is very corrupted , only those whom government favors are able to publish thier movie and those people often than not are not the most creative, it's really saddening. P.S:Your channels are GOLD . I love it ever since I have found you through moist critical I recommend you to everybody, you are very creative your way of thinking is outside of the box and just my cup of tea perhaps a little less chaotic, your channel made me want to go back to creating videos and sketchs I really enevy you and look up to you in this regard and you seem to be a very calm and genuine person ❤️

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Hey Kasra, thanks so much for the insight. That’s really unfortunate to hear about the current state of cinema out there. I’m glad there are still some beacons of light and hope to look to. When in doubt there’ll always be Kiarostami films to fall back on. Thanks so much for your kind words.

[@kasrashirvanian5980]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies thank you, for your great and inspiring content

[@darnbricks]

Seriously: I hope you're doing okay - and yes: Asghar Farhadi's films are definitely worth checking out regarding the strange political situation in your country right now, as far as I can tell from my Central-European perspective at least. Have you seen 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi, based on her autobiographical comic? I thought it was an immensely touching, beautiful, yet comprehensive and factual depiction regarding the Islamic Revolution in the seventies, and how a young woman in that situation felt stuck in between worlds and cultures.

[@Seth_M-T]

9:03 Deliberately filming in front of a mirror so that you can see the camera was such a clever idea!

[@Nathan-gs5tw]

A moment of innocence is an amazing meta Iranian film, absolutely worth checking out. Some beautiful contrasts and character study, and the final shot will absolutely stick with you

[@NYCIndieFilmmakerSujewa]

Close Up is a great movie. Very much about the power of cinema and the world of filmmaking - reasons why people make movies.

[@NYCIndieFilmmakerSujewa]

Also check out No Bears if you haven't yet. Great movie.

[@swaggyquaggy5077]

i’m at work and i just finished listening to all of your videos in the background!!! great timing! i saw 8 1/2 in a theater yesterday, have you seen it and what are your thoughts on it? i loved it personally, but i think all that jazz, which was obviously inspired heavily by it, was a better executed version of it

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I haven’t seen All That Jazz but have seen 8 1/2! It’s been awhile but I remember really loving the dream logic and abstracted look at filmmaking. Will definitely need a revisit though.

[@swaggyquaggy5077]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies i highly recommend all that jazz! thanks for all the great videos

[@jessefuterman9598]

Hey Joel please watch all that jazz it's one of my favorite movies and a wonderful piece of meta cinema. It's so incredibly special.

[@tippytops5032]

Cinema is relatively new, but it is really just a new way of doing the same thing that humans always have. We are storytellers, we have been storytellers since we developed the ability to communicate. It's simply what we do, termites build mounds, humans tell stories. This idea that we need budget, crews, rules, polish, it is so new and misguided and consumerist. Art is not about getting, it's about giving. We aren't supposed to make art to profit from it, we are supposed to make art just to make it, to create, to send our ideas and our concepts and our feelings out into the world and express them to other people. More than language ever has, art is how we make other people feel what we feel, how we let each other know what it means to be human.

[@fistfullofsalt6311]

The movie that killed me, absolutely killed me...Grave of the Fireflies...I highly recommend the movie to everyone, but be prepared, because you are going to cry. (Yes it is animated, but it really does show human emotion, there's nothing fantasy about it. It's a realist view of the world.)

[@charlie-gw5dc]

Currently jafar panahi is in prison for his movies.

[@ryanrockers]

Don't be alarmed, but Joel Haver is sitting behind you talking to a camera. The back of your head might be in his footage

[@JeremyRentsch]

Very interesting as always. Do you have any idea how calming your voice is? Really pleasant to listen to.

[@godsfool5284]

Joel have you seen the documentaries “The Act of Killing” “Look of Silence?” The first reminds me of the meta idea, as the filmmaker allows perpetrators of a real genocide to create dramatic reenactments of their experiences and then have them watch these dramas.

[@rohanimations]

a while back you recommended “taste of cherry” on Letterboxd and I think it changed my life after watching it

[@cookierill]

Have you seen any films by the Makhmalbafs? The father, Mohsen, has several films I think you’d love, including one of rehearsals called Salaam Cinema, and his masterpiece, A Moment of Innocence, is a tearjerker in the same way Close-Up is. And his daughter Samira also made a masterpiece at just 18 called The Apple, which is actually one of my very favorite Iranian films, and sometimes feels like the Iranian equivalent of Daisies.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I have seen none of the above! Thanks for the lovely recommendations! I know the filmmaker the man was pretending to be in Close-Up was a Makhmalbaf. I’ll definitely check them out.

[@David-nb3ex]

You're the cinephile boyfriend of my dreams

[@SemperVinco]

I remember finding The Mirror because I was looking for the Tarkovsky movie. Still mad though cause neither was about mirrors!

[@SemperVinco]

Also, the Cassavetes poster says "AMOWA" in the mirror.

[@ajtunnels]

Anyone who cries during a movie knows how somber notes in a film should resonate and there fore can call back on these moments for abstract referencing in story writing much easier than those who don't cry. I don't cry during most films (Dear Zachary and My Brother Jordan came close but watching Pet Semetary at age 10 takes the cake.) , but wish I did as most of my writings lean towards the dark and comedic end of emotional expression. To create a film that can elicit tears has always been fascinating to me, especially since the characters are usually fictional in a fabracated reality loosely based in our own.

[@space_1073]

Very appropriate to frame the camera in the mirror for this one haha

[@Kayla_101]

7:36 I don't think there's many other contexts where you can accurately describe a middle finger as "beautiful"

[@YouTubdotCub]

I kinda love watching a movie that makes me sob like a baby in theaters, I've always been one of those people who sees footage of like grim stoic funerals vs the ones where people just explode with human emotion messily and with intensity and go "yeah I'd rather be at the latter funeral and rather my funeral be the latter funeral also although at that point I'll be dead so hopefully it is just the ideal median funeral for all the people who loved me" (anyway I digress) and it's something almost identical to that funeral opinion in me that has me loving paying the true respect to a work of art in public like that where I express that immensity of feeling it provokes in me without shame or reservation (aside from the reservation of trying to cry relatively quietly lol). I hope one of my sobfests in a theater made even one person go "fuck yeah I am also feeling this" and just let the salty water fall from the eyes in the flickering dark.

[@colinneighbers4741]

I wonder if Abbas is a Bergman fan. The first time I ever saw this “meta” storytelling technique was in The Passion of Anna, where the actors are interviewed about their feelings on their respective characters throughout the film.

[@clairelodge72]

Samira Makhmalbaf the apple is where its at. The absolute best to me. She was only 17 when she made it.

[@geegrant865]

I could be wrong. But I don’t believe you’ve talked about horror movies. Is this on purpose?

[@darnbricks]

Close-Up is such a unique, wonderful cinematic experience - I'm kinda jealous you got to see it in a theatre. I just streamed it at home, and I felt completely overwhelmed by the strange structure (or lack thereof). At times, I take some screenshots of films when I watch them at home, and in this case, it happened to be the exact same frame Criterion used for the cover - with some filters, of course, but still. And yeah, 'This is Not a Film' and 'Taste of Cherry' are also incredible.

[@Ultraway13]

Close Up is a great film, but not even in top 5 kiarostami movies.

[@CorndogBrownie]

love you to dude, till next time, byeeee

[@whatupdude96]

i love movie, i love joel

[@jimmythethird5514]

man, this Joel Haver guy should make a movie or something

[@mandrew31]

I see that you yourself are participating in the meta-filmmmaking by placing your camera in front of a mirror 🤌

[@qabandiman]

Have you seen 'The Wailing'/'Gokseong'? if not, pelase do.

[@jenniferbauman]

I was reminded today that the next Oscars is in a little over 3 months. My how time flies... Anyway, I'll have to add these to my list as well. Thanks, Joel. 😃

[@__-cd9ug]

After your last video I took the time to watch Supermarket Woman and it was really good I truly enjoyed that and I can't wait to follow more of your recommendations thanks I love (the idea of) you have a nice day

[@bloopsmoot1534]

I love that you have this channel because I feel like it is very reminiscent of a younger, smaller youtube where people can say what they want and respond to everyone because only the real fans are present and wanting to talk. Once you get big, there is less of this relatability and more of an emphasis from a larger community to make things that are good and will get popular to apease the masses. Creating a second channel is the key to getting that relatability back

[@IsaacOtto]

Don't miss the films of Farhadi as well -- movies like About Elly (2009) or A Separation (2011) really demonstrate how a beautiful work can be crafted even in the presence of these extreme strictures on the part of the censorship board. Really makes you think about the role of creative restriction in forcing attention to form and syntax over frilly detail.

[@Metchta]

Hey Joel, it's the Festival du Nouveau Cinema here in Montreal and they're screening No Bears, Jafar Panahi's new movie. There is Tampopo as well :) Thank you for your recommendations !

[@cipribrinza1999]

I really hope some day I'll hear your thoughts on Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy

[@idle5992]

You should definitely talk about Asghar Farhadi and Saeed Roustayi's movies too. They're so unique in their own way Interesting video btw

[@dennisscott1304]

Interesting video! I'm definitely going to have to find some of these movies. I'm curious--how many movies do you watch over the course of the average week?

[@wehavemagnums]

You're covering a lot of films, directors, movements, close to my heart. Finding these videos really enjoyable and can't wait to check out some of your recommendations

[@ffzzyyzzyy]

I had such a connection with Taste of Cherry. One of the most beautiful films I have watched, and one that rarely fails to bring a tear to my eye, even just remembering. Truly masterful.

[@mehdi5297]

i really recommend watching "still life" by Shid Sales. he is another great Iranian filmmaker, and that movie is a masterpiece

[@pilot8602]

Ennio Morricone next maybe? Cinema Paradiso

[@zanamarana]

thank you for keeping me packed with films to watch

[@sethsteckino6090]

Im gonna watch one of these films tonight

[@thelastdictator482]

Thank you for these videos.

[@patinsley]

Dude I cried my ass off at the movie big fish on a first movie date with a girl that was a 11 out of 2 on my scale. I still think fondly of that feeling of shame and relief... I don't think we hung out after that... being a man is hard

[@wpg2044]

thank you joel

[@camilamarti4723]

I love this

[@gumbyno5808]

It's so cool that such movies get shown in theatres where you are. It's mostly commercial movies that get shown where I'm at. We don't get criterion channel here too. If only these movies were more accessible smh

[@murilosilva2085]

Just keep hunting around for old theaters that do whatever they want

[@abolfazlkhosravi2563]

I'm literally number 1 😂😂😍😍

[@watersilk]