Close-Up

Original title: Nema-ye nazdik

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah, Hossain Farazmand, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Hossain Sabzian in Close-Up (1990)

The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

25K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total

Photos46

+ 39

‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits

Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and director Marc Webb take our Ultimate Disney Quiz.

Watch now

9:57

More like this

7.7

Le goût de la cerise

7.7

Au travers des oliviers

7.9

Et la vie continue

7.4

Le vent nous emportera

7.4

7.8

7.2

7.2

8.2

A Brighter Summer Day

7.7

Un instant d'innocence

7.8

La vache

7.9

À propos d'Elly

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
In the final scene outside the jail when Sabzian is surprised and touched to meet the real director he had been impersonating, Mohsan Makhmalbaf, we don't hear most of their talk because (we're told) the sound equipment was faulty. In reality, Kiarostami just didn't want to leave the dialogue in, because it didn't come off well: Sabzi was genuinely moved to meet his idol and spoke from his heart, but Makhmalbaf was just repeating scripted lines, so the dialogue didn't work.

Goofs
When Sabzian and Makhmalbaf meet, there is a bundle in Sabzian's hand. He gets on the motorbike with the bundle in his hand. Later on, during their ride on the motorbike, the bundle is not there any more.

Crazy credits
The film's title doesn't appear on screen until almost sixteen minutes into the film.

Connections
Featured in Stardust Stricken - Mohsen Makhmalbaf: A Portrait (1996)

User reviews69

Featured review

8/10

Art Imitating Life...

You've been in court, for being someone that you're not, under a light that's put you right under the spot, a cinema director, or a fraudulent prospector, against a family who perceived your foolish plot. But events then take a turn, become surreal, as endeavours are inscribed on cine reel, re-enacting your conviction, with the family of victims, you play the lead in your own life and their ordeal.

An imaginative and inspired way to portray the events that the Ahankhah family went through when Hossain Sabzian decided to take on the persona of a well-known Iranian film director, with the cast playing themselves for the most part.