CLOSE-UP

SYNOPSIS

Frustrated young film buff, who had been posing as Mohsen Makhmalbaf, gets arrested! “The accused pass – ing himself off as the celebrated film director, entered the life of a well-to-do family with the ostensible inten – tion of wanting to make a film with their participation. All this has apparently been an excuse for exploring the family house and planning a burglary which was fore – stalled with the man’s arrest.” This headline and con – sequent article in a Tehran daily newspaper provided Kiarostami with the basic idea for a semi-documentary film. Kiarostami visited the accused in prison, contacted people at the judiciary department and obtained per – mission to shoot the court proceedings. He set up two cameras at the court: one with a wide-angle lens to record the trial, and the other one with a close-up lens to probe into the psychological truth of the case.