Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
A man drives through the outskirts of Tehran seeking someone willing to help with a grave personal decision.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
Mr. Badii drives the dusty outskirts of Tehran asking workers, soldiers, a seminarian, and a taxidermist to perform one task the following morning if he does not respond from a grave he has prepared. Each passenger answers differently.
Why it belongs
Abbas Kiarostami transforms a car and barren hills into an open ethical conversation, refusing spectacle while making every passenger's response distinct.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Kiarostami fashions the film from car-bound conversations, Tehran's dusty outskirts, offscreen voices, and Homayoun Ershadi's guarded presence, making a simple search for assistance into an ethically open encounter with despair.
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 & Sound243IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.2
Engagement8.0
Ease7.2
Persian · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
