Through The Olive Trees- Abbas Kiarostami -

The genius of Through the Olive Trees is that Kiarostami pulls focus from the fictional tragedy of the earthquake to the very real, very human comedy of the actors playing the couple. The narrative engine of the film is the off-screen, one-sided love affair between Hossein Rezai (playing himself) and Tahereh Ladanian (playing a role). Hossein is poor, speaks informally, and lives in a tent. Tahereh is educated, literate (she reads her lines from a script, while Hossein must memorize them), and comes from a family of landowners.

But then—and this is the miracle—she stops. She turns. She lifts her hand to her head, adjusts her white headscarf. Then, in the most subtle, un-cinematic gesture in film history, she looks back at him. And she runs slowly . She runs back to him. She passes him and continues up the hill. Hossein, stunned, turns to follow. Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami

The camera holds. The screen goes black. For thirty years, critics have debated what happens in that final shot. Does she agree to marry him? Is the "slow run" a tacit acceptance? Or is she simply running away from an annoying man? The genius of Through the Olive Trees is

As they move farther into the distance, Hossein suddenly stops. He turns. He looks at Tahereh. Then, he begins to run—not toward her, but up the hill to intercept her. Tahereh is educated, literate (she reads her lines