The New York Review of Books

‘The premier literary-intellectual magazine in the English language.’

November 13th 2012

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Set in Tokyo, “Like Someone in Love” has all of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s usual preoccupations: the passage of time, the mystery and contingency of human intercourse, the shadow of death, the illusions of love, the intimacy of being isolated from the world in a moving vehicle. But the setting in Japan does not feel arbitrary; it has a point. Tokyo, the ultimate modern metropolis, with its neon-lit commercial graffiti and buildings that look like a pastiche of everywhere and nowhere, is perfect for Kiarostami’s story of closeness between strangers.

Ian Buruma, Kiarostami’s Tokyo

Photo: Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love (2012) from Euro Space/MK2 Productions

Posted at 2:00pm and tagged with: The New York Review of Books, Ian Buruma, Abbas Kiarostami, Like Someone in Love, Film Review, Tokyo,.

Set in Tokyo, “Like Someone in Love” has all of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s usual preoccupations: the passage of time, the mystery and contingency of human intercourse, the shadow of death, the illusions of love, the intimacy of being isolated from the world in a moving vehicle. But the setting in Japan does not feel arbitrary; it has a point. Tokyo, the ultimate modern metropolis, with its neon-lit commercial graffiti and buildings that look like a pastiche of everywhere and nowhere, is perfect for Kiarostami’s story of closeness between strangers. Ian Buruma, Kiarostami’s Tokyo Photo: Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love (2012) from Euro Space/MK2 Productions