NZIFF Review: ‘Like Someone In Love’

Iranian director Kiarostami leaves the Tuscan setting of his last film, Certified Copy, and slips easily into the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, capturing the energy and mystery of that unique city.

The story is simple and romantic and is told in such an unhurried way that we have an opportunity to see every subtlety in the relationships between the characters.

Akiko is a sociology student who moonlights as an escort. She’s at a café with her friend when she’s called by her pimp to do a job on the far side of the city. She doesn’t want to go. She has an exam. She’s tired. And her grandmother is visiting from the country. Yet the pimp insists and she finds herself in the back of a cab, sleeping her way to the home of an elderly gentleman. Once there she finds a kindly gentleman who is more interested in talking with her and making her some soup than in sex.

In the background is Akiko’s boyfriend, a boorish mechanic who’s given to outbursts of rage. When he sees the old man dropping Akiko at the university, he becomes determined to find out more and approaches him. While Akiko takes her exam the men talk, comparing ideas about love and marriage from two very different generations.

This is a film filled with yearning and passion, but it all brews beneath the surface. The filmmaker’s attention to the small details is extraordinary, and by using long scenes without much cutting, he gives us the opportunity to appreciate the relevance of every nuance.

This is not a fast-paced film, so if you’re looking for something with a lot of action or sweeping romance, this is probably not for you. But if you like subtle, deep characterisation that reflects the realities of human behaviour, you’ll come away delighted.

8/10

.