Certified Copy

(2011) *** 1/2 Unrated
106 min. IFC Films. Director: Abbas Kiarostami. Cast: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell, Jean-Claude Carriere, Agathe Natanson, Gianna Giachetti.

/content/films/3994/1.jpgOnce upon a time, commercials for audio cassette tapes asked, “Is it live or is it Memorex?” When there’s no discernable difference between what’s real and what’s a copy, one’s sense of self understandably becomes uncertain. Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy considers what’s real between two people, and if it should bother us when reality becomes replaced with a copy.

For starters, a copy of reality is a pretty good definition of art. Certified Copy takes place in Southern Tuscany, where a small assemblage awaits an absent lecturer. James Miller (William Shimell) arrives late to discuss his book (also called “Certified Copy”), which has been awarded “best foreign essay of the year.” The subject is art, which Miller concedes is “not an easy subject to write about. There are no fixed points of reference. There are no immutable truths to write about.”

One can say the same for human relationships, and Miller’s explanation that he has explored the psychological and philosophical aspects of his subject prepare us for the approach of writer-director Kiarostami (A Taste of Cherry) to the destabilizing unknown variables in a courtship and a marriage of minds. Present at the conference is a woman (Juliette Binoche) whose restlessly bothersome boy hastens her exit. The teen teases his mother that she likes the author; soon thereafter, she meets him at her antiques gallery and initiates a flirtation.

As the pair go through the age-old motions of coquetry, cues suggest they may have a shared past that they’re playfully ignoring: are these two kindling a relationship or rekindling one? Kiarostami deliberately avoids an explicit answer to that question, but at the film’s midpoint, the characters seem less like potential lovers (who could already be married) and more like spouses of fifteen years (who could have only just met). Perhaps this luminous mother and this silver fox are testing out a future together; perhaps they are considering if they still have one.

Many American viewers will immediately think of Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, as Kiarostami’s film takes the form of two people flirting and squabbling over a long conversation that winds its way through a beautiful European city. Like Before Sunrise, Certified Copy is clever, at times charming and at others heartfelt, and possessed of two interesting actors. Binoche remains a treasure of the screen, while operatic baritone Shimell makes a convincing screen debut. Though both are allowed their seductive moments, they’re also game to look petty and off-puttingly irritable as the situation demands.

Kiarostami plays with archetypal gender roles: she’s sentimental, he’s trapped in his head, and both are stubborn. She’s compelled to lay traps for him, and he’s unwilling to give her the simple thing she wants, a reassuring shoulder to lean on or an arm to lock with hers. Talk of his absence (also the film’s opening image) gives the film an underlying tension: when push comes to shove, will he make good on his insistence that he must hop a train, living his life and leaving her to hers? The answer may tell if what’s between them is live or memory.

[This review first appeared in Palo Alto Weekly.]

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Bluray

Aspect ratios: 1.85:1

Number of discs: 1

Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Street date: 5/22/2012

Distributor: Criterion Collection

Criterion does right by Certified Copy with a sterling special edition blu-ray release. Top-notch video ideally captures the film's intended look, with precision and clarity in all departments. Shot on digital, the film nevertheless retains a filmic appearance buoyed by the natural light Kiarostami favors here. Detail and texture are excellent and unsullied by any digital artifacts; color remains true and contrast is spot-on. Sourced from the original digital audio, the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix definitively presents the film's surround soundscape, with clear dialogue and subtle ambience.

Bonus features add exceptional value to this release. For starters, there's a second feature film included: Kiarostami's 1977 The Report (1:49:29, HD).  This exceedingly rare film had its original negative destroyed during the Iranian revolution, so don't expect great A/V quality (the source is a scratchy analog video of a subtitled theatrical print). Still, Criterion upscales the source, and it's much more watchable than the description probably makes it sound (there's no timecode, for example).

Next up is a Criterion-exclusive 2012 interview with "Abbas Kiarostami" (16:02, HD), which concisely covers the topics one might otherwise hear in a commentary: the director's work with the actors and the film's conception, themes, and execution.

"Let's See 'Copia conforme'" (52:05, HD) is an extensive behind-the-scenes documentary including set footage and interviews with Kiarostami, actors Juliette Binoche and William Shimell, cinematographer Luca Bigazzi and producer Angelo Barbagallo.

Review gear:
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 55" Plasma 1080p 3D HDTV
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Player
Denon AVR2112CI Integrated Network A/V Surround Receiver
Pioneer SP-BS41-LR Bookshelf Speaker (2)
Pioneer SP-C21 Center Speaker
Pioneer SW-8 Subwoofer

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