Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
During a film production in rural Iran, a young actor pursues the woman cast opposite him.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
While Kiarostami's And Life Goes On is filmed in earthquake-affected Koker, local mason Hossein plays a newlywed opposite Tahereh, a woman who refuses his real-life proposals. Repeated takes let the fictional courtship and Hossein's persistent hopes overlap.
Why it belongs
Deploying repeated takes, landscape, class difference, and a final long shot that protects Tahereh's autonomy, Kiarostami transforms filmmaking into courtship.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Olive groves, unfinished houses, crew instructions, repeated dialogue, long walks, and distant framing keep fiction and reality mutually visible; Hossein Rezai's urgent speech meets Tahereh Ladanian's powerful refusal to perform response.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness8.8
Engagement8.2
Ease8.2
Persian · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
