Is love original or just a copy?

Copie Conforme/Certified Copy (2010) - dir. Abbas Kiarostami - 5 stars

The last film from Kiarostami I had seen was Shirin, which had forced me to think about where Kiarostami saw his work presented - in the cinema or in an art gallery.  Shirin had pushed the boundaries of what's expected in cinema with its construction whereby close-ups of 114 Iranian women, mostly theatre and cinema actresses including Juliette Binoche framed the entire film. The film they were watching could only be heard by us. Our eyes were voyeuristically fixated on the women's faces and their reactions to the story they were being told. It seemed more suitable for an art gallery rather than a cinema. With Copie Conforme, Kiarostami leaves no doubt. The film belongs in the cinema as long as it can stay. With its timeless story and extraordinary acting, this is a film that will stay in my heart. 


The film follows a mother as she tries to grapple with her life while her son and husband are at odds with her desires. She wants to feel the connection and the excitement she felt before and is now lacking.  At times she forces the others to see her way, and at other times, she just lets life trickle down the cobbled streets. Juliette Binoche really deserves the best actress honors she received at the Cannes Film Festival as the mother. Her portrait of the mother is touching, mature and sensitive. It's so natural to identify with her fears, insecurities and beauty. Kudos to la Binoche for a fantastic performance.


Long term collaborators, Binoche and Kiarostami are a pair to watch out for.  While Kiarostami really shows he understands the European mindset, Binoche enforces it with her acting.  From the ungrateful, independent child to the fussy couple, Kiarostami shows virtuosic control over the content and establishes his authority as a filmmaker that can traverse borders and be successful in any context, not just as an Iranian filmmaker making Iranian films.  This spells good tidings for us all as I'm sure we're bound to see more excellent films from the pair in the future.