Ta'm e guilass (1997)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Abbas Kiarostami

Writer:

Abbas Kiarostami (writer)

Release Date:

30 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Middle-aged Mr.Badii is planning to commit suicide and desperately seeks anyone to assist him - he has already dug out the grave in the mountains...

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Hole | Iran | Character Study | Long Take

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Homayoun Ershadi	...	Mr. Badii
Abdolrahman Bagheri	...	Mr. Bagheri
Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari	...	Soldier
Safar Ali Moradi	...	The soldier
Mir Hossein Noori	...	The seminarian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ahmad Ansari

Directed by
Abbas Kiarostami

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Abbas Kiarostami		writer

Produced by
Abbas Kiarostami	....	producer

Cinematography by
Homayun Payvar

Film Editing by
Abbas Kiarostami

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hassan Yektapanah	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Mohammad Reza Delpak	....	sound designer
Jahangir Mirshekari	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Alireza Ansarian	....	camera operator

Production Companies

• Abbas Kiarostami Productions
• CiBy 2000

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Artificial Eye
• Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Film Corp. (1999) (DVD)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cult Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (Canada)
• Primer Plano Film Group (Argentina)
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• Vértigo Films (Spain)
• Zeitgeist Films (1998) (USA) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

A Taste of Cherry (USA)
Le goût de la cerise (France)
Taste of Cherry (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

France | Iran

Language:

Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Finland:S | Hungary:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Company:

Abbas Kiarostami Productions

Trivia:

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 1997 (#06).

Quotes:

Mr. Bagheri: If you look at the four seasons, each season brings fruit. In summer, there's fruit, in autumn, too. Winter brings different fruit and spring, too. No mother can fill her fridge with such a variety of fruit for her children. No mother can do as much for her children as God does for His creatures. You want to refuse all that? You want to give it all up? You want to give up the taste of cherries?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 10 on Ten (2004)

Dark, mysterious movie that shouldn't be missed

This movie sparked more debate amongst our group than any other. If you're not put off by the pace, you definitely owe it to yourself to see this. By far the most interesting film I've seen in the past few years.

The pace is quite slow, and the director takes no pains to explain or clarify anything. We follow a man as he tries to enlist the help of ordinary people in carrying out a dark plan. The movie is about the interactions between humans, about the joy of life - the taste of a cherry - seen through the eyes of a desperate man. Not all the questions are answered, and not all the pieces of the puzzle are filled. I guarantee you'll discuss this movie for at least several hours after you see it.