A NOTE ON ABBAS KIAROSTAMI (1940 - 2016)

​       The announcement of legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami passing away this morning leaves me in a state of shock. It is an utter pain, a tangible, physical one felt in my soul, that I cannot escape. I sit here, nearly motionless, trying to think of things to say that offer respect to him and his loved ones, that are not just lots of statements of 'he was a great director' and 'I liked his movies'.

       Simply put, Abbas Kiarostami was not a merely a filmmaker, an artist, a cast shadow of mankind's fears and hopes; he was a pure human, with inhuman talents, a man of incredible spirit -- a body that no longer walks the Earth, but a soul which will roam the Earth and inspire forever.

       He was a soldier for the cinema, for free speech, for the barriers of language, race, and class to be broken. His films meant different things to each who passed, creating unique interpretations, but the common one was of Abbas' grace, courage, character, and bravery. He was the most alive man in the world, which makes the news of his death that much more devastating.

       Kiarostami's inspiration for leagues of directors and artists alike is not the only thing that he has brought to this world -- he brought a certain presence to cinema, an unmistakable auterist mark that decided itself on the fashion of faith in man, hope, and the wisdom needed to sustain a lifetime of health and good will.

       If I was asked to represent Kiarostami with one of his films, I would choose his film Close-Up, not because it is perhaps his most famous work, and indeed his most critically-acclaimed, but because atop the great summit of his films which examined the facets of existence and humanity, Close-Up may be the very top. The film does what Kiarostami's best films did, and what the man himself did oftentimes: it brought a new perspective, a new side, and it is a symbol of a true hero.

       Abbas Kiarostami is now in the hearts of each cinephile, whether they knew of him or not, whether they had seen his films or not. Because deep within Kiarostami, an electrifying energy poured out the most preposterous amounts of generosity, heart, and especially soul, a soul that will undoubtedly travel throughout time and space to reach the generations beyond, a generation that needs a hero.

Rest in Peace, Abbas Kiarostami.

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