Taste of Cherry

Name: Taste of Cherry
Genre: Drama
Released: March 20, 1998
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 80
Cast: Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Ahmad Ansari, Homayoun Ershadi, Mir Hossein Noori

1998

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Zeitgeist Films | Release Date: March 20, 1998 | Not Rated

Starring: Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Ahmad Ansari, Homayoun Ershadi, Mir Hossein Noori, Safar Ali Moradi

Summary: An Iranian man drives his truck in search of someone who will quietly bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide.

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 95 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Dave Kehr

This stunning work by Iran's leading film maker, Abbas Kiarostami, won the grand prize at last year's Cannes festival. Open and simple in its visual style, the film takes place largely in real time, giving it a firmly anchored sense of reality to set against its abstract philosophical concerns. The atmosphere is calm, yet the film is mysteriously, powerfully affirmative. [20 March 1998, p.60]

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

This outstanding work — so meditative — is clearly an affirmation of life (and never more provocatively than in the film’s unusual coda, in which moviemaking itself becomes part of the discussion). It’s also so grounded in the real emotional scope of ordinary people that the magnitude of the subject is answered in the most mysteriously matter-of-fact way. Read full review

100

Stephen Holden

Exquisite. Read full review

John Hartl

Aside from the Brechtian ending, Taste of Cherry is not a difficult film, although the implications of the characters' references to "true" Moslems, "brave" Kurds and multiplying Afghans may be entirely clear only to an Iranian audience. [3 July 1998]

Edward Guthmann

A warning: The pace is very slow in Taste of Cherry, with long takes and leisurely, repetitious shots of Mr. Badii's car twisting through a hilly countryside. Kiarostami is in no rush, but the respect and love he shows for his characters, and the confidence and simplicity of his technique, make Taste of Cherry a satisfying experience. Read full review

Phoebe Flowers

With long, beautiful shots, Taste of Cherry has a striking artlessness. The bulk of it is told from the interior of Badii's car . As he offers rides to strangers and presents them with his uncommon request, the subsequent dialogues on life, religion and humanism manage to remain above mere bathos. [28 Aug 1998, p.9G]

Roger Ebert

Excruciatingly boring. Read full review

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User Reviews

Sono_Momo

Jun 17, 2022

I can boldly say that it's the best Iranian film. A film made for special tastes and not everyone has the patience to continue watching the film until the end. The Palme d'Or was rightly given to (Taste of Cherry)

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ahmedaiman1999

May 9, 2021

The decision is made. Badii is intent to end his life, and all he asks for is someone who could bury him as he's lying in his grave he's already dug out. We have no idea why exactly Badii is willing to kill himself. And in this lack of explanation not only we're asked to focus on theThe decision is made. Badii is intent to end his life, and all he asks for is someone who could bury him as he's lying in his grave he's already dug out. We have no idea why exactly Badii is willing to kill himself. And in this lack of explanation not only we're asked to focus on the 99-minute journey instead of the destination, but we're also implicitly informed that Badii's soul is no longer being tormented but it's already gasping out its last breath; which means it's not dead yet, though. If it hadn't been for Homayoun Ershadi, Badii would've seemed dead, even as he's driving his truck. For Eshadi's sorrow-laden eyes expose the misery that burdens Badii's soul and, in turn, prompts him to "free [himself] from this life," and that what makes him clutching at a straw even if he himself is completely unaware of that. There's nothing surrounding him that could urge him to give the idea a second thought. All we see are some bleak and dismally empty and desolate landscapes. The sound of silence permeate the screen to reflect the excruciating ennui Badii feels, and the only sounds that break the silence intermittently are the cacophonous sound of machines or other jarring sounds. Kiarostami also detaches him, and us, from the world Badii has long forsaken, making us listen to conversations with the speakers almost off-screen. And the only life form Badii seems to observe are not of the people he interacts with—simply because his mind is solely concentrating on seeking someone to assist him do what he wants—but those of crows. Along his journey, innate goodness of human beings like "refraining from doing any harm to anyone" or "offering a hand whenever encountering someone in need or trouble" are manifested, but so long as these traits interfere with Badii's intent, they come off as hurdles to what he plans to do and they just end up pass by him unnoticed. As he's in a stage beyond any rational thinking, religious and philosophical advices fall on deaf ears as well. No one can change his mind. A long lecturing would definitely be of no help, unless beneath its veneer of didacticism lies a life-affirming power and an irrefutable optimism of an epiphanic impact. What kept me from giving this five stars is that the lack of information about Badii distanced me emotionally from him at the beginning. Regardless, Taste of Cherry is a minimalist masterpiece that celebrates life by showing us its value and beauty hidden in its simplicity.… Expand

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DawdlingPoet

Nov 24, 2021

This is a thought provoking and somewhat philosophical watch. Its quite low key, almost documentary in style. The plot was rather slow and perhaps a little meandering. Its a sobering watch - an interesting one. I liked the discussions had, hearing different peoples opinions about a deeplyThis is a thought provoking and somewhat philosophical watch. Its quite low key, almost documentary in style. The plot was rather slow and perhaps a little meandering. Its a sobering watch - an interesting one. I liked the discussions had, hearing different peoples opinions about a deeply personal matter.

I'm not sure I'd specifically recommend it as such but its certainly not bad either.… Expand

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