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Close-Up (1990)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami · Cinematography by Ali Reza Zarrindast

98 min30 frames

CrimeDrama

A real-life situation based on a real incident in actual locations with actual people involved.

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Stills, screencaps & shots from Close-Up

16 of 30 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A man in a tan military uniform stands outdoors in front of a vehicle. A blue patrol vehicle with emergency…Close-Up (1990) movie still: wide — A spacious room features floor-to-ceiling white curtains, a patterned rug, and classic chandeliers. A bearded…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — An interior space with beige walls and a white radiator in the background. A man with dark curly hair sits in…Close-Up (1990) movie still: wide — A residential street features a roadside flower stall with rows of potted plants. A man on a motorcycle travels…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — An outdoor area with blurred trees in the background during daylight hours. A man with a dark beard holds a…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A man sits at a desk in a room with plain, grey paneled walls. He holds papers while looking off-screen toward…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — An indoor setting with indistinct beige walls suggesting an office or courtroom environment. A bearded man…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — Two men sit in carved wooden armchairs with a small ornate table between them. Sheer curtains cover a large…Close-Up (1990) movie still: fullbody — A residential entrance with a brown metal gate set into a concrete wall. Two men stand together outside the…Close-Up (1990) movie still: fullbody — A quiet residential street is lined with young trees and autumn foliage. A man carries a briefcase while…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A man sits on a carved wooden chair against a plain wall. A small ornamental table and a floor ashtray flank…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A gated entrance features a blue sign with Persian script mounted above vertical bars. Two uniformed men stand…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A workspace with a desk positioned in front of a large, bright window. A man in a turban sits at the desk…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — A stark visitation room with plain gray walls and metal frame partitions. Two men converse while sitting on…Close-Up (1990) movie still: fullbody — A stone terrace with metal railings overlooks a garden with autumn trees. Two middle-aged men stand on the…Close-Up (1990) movie still: medium — Two men ride a motorcycle along a road beside a long brick wall. The motion blur indicates speed while the…
Close-Up (1990) — © Kanoon

Close-Up — official trailer

What is Close-Up about?

This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves.

Close-Up is a 1990 Iranian docufiction written, directed and edited by Abbas Kiarostami. The film tells the story of Hossein Sabzian, a man who impersonated film-maker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and conned a family into believing they would star in his new film. The director received permission to film the historic trial; with their agreement, he featured the people involved in re-enacting certain events that had preceded that. All "play" themselves. Through this work about human identity, Kiarostami gained wider international recognition.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch Close-Up?

US availability for Close-Up (1990). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in Close-Up?

Who made Close-Up?

What does the cinematography of Close-Up look like?

Across 30 sampled frames, Close-Up builds its coverage from medium shots, with close-ups carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer Ali Reza Zarrindast keeps almost all of it in soft, naturalistic light. Daylight carries most of the picture. Vintage glass shapes the frame. Focus stays shallow in most of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings. The production design places the film in the 1990s.

What is the color palette of Close-Up?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of Close-Up (1990) are #342f2b, #d7d3ca, #524f4a, #d3c8b0, #908f8c, #887b6d — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #342f2b
  • #d7d3ca
  • #524f4a
  • #d3c8b0
  • #908f8c
  • #887b6d

See the full Close-Up colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

A reference database for filmmakers

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Techniques in this film

More films by Abbas Kiarostami

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