International Art House Classics: Close-Up (1990)

A singular achievement in world cinema, Close-Up is Abbas Kiarostami’s masterful meditation on truth, identity, and the power of cinema itself. The film follows a young man who impersonates famed director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and ingratiates himself into a family’s life under the guise of preparing a film project. When his deception is uncovered and he is put on trial, Kiarostami steps into the story, blending real courtroom footage with reenactments performed by the actual people involved. This radical fusion of documentary and fiction blurs the line between reality and performance, resulting in a deeply moving and intellectually rich exploration of storytelling, empathy, and illusion. Widely hailed as one of Kiarostami’s crowning achievements, Close-Up remains one of the most influential and celebrated films of the 1990s.