Taste of Cherry
Directed by Abbas Kiarastomi
Finally almost 3 weeks after I had watched the movie, I can now gather some courage to write about it. And of course I would refrain writing about Kiarastomi's quasi-neoralist style, his minimalist approach, his different approach towards the narrative construct and so on. Much has been written about these. Moreover, i also lack the technical know-hows to write on these aspects.
Smitten by Iranian movies, i try to find the country and its culture whenever i watch the movies by any Iranian auteur. Majidi with his brilliant cinematography brings forth the Persian culture through love, kindness, true sentiments of the folks-people even amidst penury. Makhmalbaf presents Iran as a meshwork of entangled colorful threads, just need to be sorted and woven into the magical carpets. Samira's Iran is democratic in the spheres of knowledge. The schools force down "apples" in the palms of young girls encouraging them to embrace the happenings of the world around them, out of the claustrophobic confines of home. Ghobadi's Iran speaks of the stoic optimism of his Kurdish clan. Panahi's Iran hopes of indomitable spirit of the future Iranian women, undaunted by repression. Milani's Iran speaks of the oppression on women against their struggles of emancipation. However all of them speak in unison for immense hope and not of hopelessness.
I was therefore curious enough to find which Iran does Kiarastomi portray. And Taste of Cherry does take you through solving a jigsaw puzzle till you decode the soul of the movie.
We find Mr. Madi, an affluent Iranian (obvious from his driving an SUV) travelling through the busy streets up across the dusty hills. It seems he is looking for something or someone. The hoards of migrant laborers bickering for work in the streets, the garbage collector who struggles to make a living, all those who come in his way, are in complete contradiction to the socio-economic status which Mr. Badi's image displays. However we soon find that Mr. Badi is contemplating a suicide and he needs an accomplice. His plans are fully laid. He has found a ditch to go and lie in the night after a dosage of sleeping pills. The person whose help he is seeking needs to throw the earth on him. Of course he would pay him a handsome amount. No reason of Mr. Badi's suicide is cited. Still Kiarastomi manages to create a suspense with the viewers guessing about his success or failure. In fact, this is where I now comprehend fully that Kiarastomi is no different from his successive film auteurs, many of whom have assissted him. While Mr. Madi was frantically looking for an accomplice, and trying hard convincing them to carry on this macabre act, we all wait praying that he never gets one. We donot want him to commit suicide. Suicide is an end of hope, if not life. It just portrays extreme hopelessness. Much later in life, Kiarastomi's friend,(Mohsen Makhmalbaf in Kandahar) shows how a girl trudging miles across the risky terrains of Afghanistan to save her sister from commiting suicide, to carry to her the message of hope. Hopelessness shows decadence has set in the society. And Kiarastomi cannot allow that. Hence, the suicidal plan of a rich affluent man questions us when we see with him enroute, men living in abject poverty and yet refusing to be a part of a game-plan to end a life. Suicide of this man seems absurd and unreasonable, when we see images around him implying impoverished lifves, struggling yet aiming to live on.
The Kurdish soldier refuses and even flees lest he be coaxed into this act. An Afghan, working in a seminary too refuses citing the act to be against God's wishes. Finally a taxodermist Mr. Bagheri agrees to help him. Mr. Bagheri needs money for the treatment of his ailing child. However, it is through Mr. Bagheri, we find the "coda" of the movie. The plea of "hope". Mr. Bagheri tries to convince him against the act, not because it is a macabre act, neither because it is forbidden by God. His plea is to live on to rediscover life. He reminisces his own experience when, he had set on to commit suicide once.On "de moment", he chose to live after tasting mulberries. The soft succint mulberries melting in his mouth conveyed to him that life is much more than his apparent frustrations due to, may be indigence or a struggled mundane life. And this has been an eternal message from Iran always. Life and hope lies in the smallest treasures around you.You just need to have a better look around.In Majidi's "song of sparrows" a tired Karim found hope in the support of his family and his small son and not amidst the apparent treasures he scavenged from city and had started hoarding. The richness of life lies in "hope". And hope comes from love and sympathy. The first appeal by a person, urging him to live on, to gear up and look around and to find enough reasons to live, was a whisper of hope in Mr. Badi. Amidst the dusty mountains and the meandering overcrowded streets, the soul that he lost, seems to catch up with him.He rushes back to Mr. Bagheri asking him to check well, whether he would be dead by the end of the night. He might still be living, but sleeping due to the effect of the sleeping pills. This is a subtle hint of hope, to live on in Madi's mind. So far he was sure of his death due to the sleeping pills, there was no other possibility. He had asked to throw a small stone first to others to check any reply from him and in case of no reply, just pour in the soil and bury him. This is the first time we find him anxious about the fact that he might be just sleeping and unable to reply. In that case he does not want to be buried alive.
Well the movie also does not show whether he lives or dies. We find him getting into the ditch and then the next shot shows Kiarastomi with his crew amidst the same loactions.
This hilt brings you back to consciousness. The engagement that was built between you and Mr. Badi's fate is over. You are immediately distanced.
I however sigh a breath of relief and relax with the hope- "he is still alive and not dead"
Undoubtedly Kiarastomi is a maestro who makes you cling on to "hope" stronger than ever before.
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