Ambiguity has never been a strong point of narrative cinema. For most directors, film is primarily a literal medium, with the goal of re-creating the real world while conveying all of the necessary information to the audience. But what exactly constitutes “necessary information?” The obvious answer is information that’s directly relevant to the story being told, but for most viewers it goes beyond that, encompassing stylistic considerations that are generally made so that audiences don’t feel lost from moment to moment. But is this information strictly necessary to make the film work? Some directors would say no, and foremost among these directors is the great Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.
Read More...