Synopsis
A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student, asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.
Reflections
Review ★★★★
I found it difficult to connect with this movie. While the story resonated with me in terms of the dialectics of committing suicide, I didn’t fully understand Kiarostami’s choice of cinematography and overall scene set ups. I also did not appreciate the ending. I think it is one of those movies that need a rewatch.
After having thought about it more, I came to the conclusion that it is a great movie. Main reasons:
- The film is incredibly simplistic. Often times, you don’t even see the main actor in the same shot with whom he’s talking. One reason is that Abbas Kiarostami sat on the passenger’s seat while filming. That’s the more practical reason.
- The other one is (in my opinion at least) having the actor in the main frame the whole team puts pressure on him to give a reason why committing suicide is the right choice.