Abbas Kiarostami’s 1994 masterpiece Through the Olive Trees is a film where the boundaries between art and life completely dissolve. Set in the aftermath of the devastating 1990 earthquake in Northern Iran, the film follows a local bricklayer named Hossein who lands a role in a movie, only to find himself acting opposite Tahereh—the real-life object of his unrequited love.
: A "behind-the-scenes" look at the production of And Life Goes On , specifically expanding a brief four-minute scene involving a young couple. Plot and Thematic Core: Love Amidst the Rubble Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami
Tahereh, played by a non-professional actress with a face of stone, says almost nothing. She looks away. She clutches her book. She walks faster. Kiarostami gives her the most powerful role: silence. Her refusal is not cruelty; it is a form of dignity in a world that has collapsed around her. We are never entirely sure if she is rejecting Hossein or simply refusing to perform her feelings for the camera. Plot and Thematic Core: Love Amidst the Rubble
Through the Olive Trees (1994), directed by , is the final chapter of the Koker Trilogy , which also includes Where Is the Friend's House? (1987) and And Life Goes On (1992). Shot in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in northern Iran, the film is a masterful exploration of the blurred lines between cinema and reality. Synopsis and Meta-Narrative She walks faster
Then, she turns. She runs. But not away. She runs back towards the set, back towards the crew. Hossein watches her go. Defeated? Perhaps.
The plot of Through the Olive Trees is deceptively simple. In the aftermath of the devastating 1990 Rudbar earthquake in northern Iran, a film crew is shooting a movie. That movie, we gradually realize, is And Life Goes On… — the second film in the trilogy. The “director” (played by Kiarostami’s frequent collaborator, Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, though the character remains unnamed) is casting local non-professionals.