Abbas Kiarostami, 65th Venice Film Festival (Wikipedia)
I have been looking for Abbas Kiarostami’s “Where Is My Friend’s House?” for some time after Werner Herzog recommended it at his Rogue Film School site. I found an old VHS copy called “Where Is The Friend’s Home?” at the Humboldt State University Library, but I was really happy to find an updated version from the Criterion Collection on Hulu. I can think of no better time to highlight Kiarostami’s work when US and Iranian politicians are busy dehumanizing one another. Once again it is art that reminds us of our universal humanity. Kiarostami manages to perfectly capture the world-view and ethical code of every eight year old beautifully. The cinematographer, Farhad Saba, captures the color and texture of every wall throughout the villages as well as the spatial dimension that all children reside in. The film tells the story of Ahmed, a schoolboy attempting to return his friend’s notebook in a neighboring village. It is getting late and Ahmed has not yet bought bread for the family, but his friend faces expulsion if he does not turn in his notebook the following day. This film is a metaphor for contemporary civil duty, loyalty, and simple everyday heroics.
The film is among the top ten in the BFI list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
