92
Metascore
15 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThe meanings of Close-Up shift, subtly and profoundly, with every viewing; the only certainty is that its rewards are boundless.
- 100The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayFrom the outset, the director lets us know that this won’t be some sensationalistic crime story. Close-Up is more about the power of images, and how what’s on the screen at any given moment can hold our attention completely, even if it has nothing to do with “the story.”
- 100LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenDoes Close-Up reveal the truth? I’d prefer to say it reveals the beauty of distortion.
- 100Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezCall it what you will (documentary, mockumentary, self-fulfilling prophecy), Close-Up is still the definitive film-on-film commentary.
- 100Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumA dense and subtle masterpiece.
- 90Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonLike nearly every other Kiarostami film, Close-Up takes questions about movies and makes them feel like questions of life and death.
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIt is Mr. Sabzian's poignancy that makes "Close-Up" much more than a clever reflection on film-versus-life as an endless hall of mirrors.
- 90The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyIn Kiarostami’s furiously clear view, religious dogma suppresses the eye’s observations through the dictate of the word; his calmly unwavering images, with their wry humor and generous sympathy, have the force of a steadfast resistance.
- 90The IndependentThe IndependentClose-Up is two films in one, a hugely skilful work of cinematic origami about doubles and doubling.
- Close-Up is perhaps the emblematic work of the so-called Iranian New Wave, summing up its methods and preoccupations and also bringing together two of its key figures, Kiarostami and Mohsen Makhmalbaf.