The final seven minutes of Through the Olive Trees are arguably the most perfect sequence in Kiarostami’s career. After production wraps, Hossein is told that Tahereh has left the set and is walking home, carrying a heavy bag of plaster.
Kiarostami builds the film around this contradiction: Hossein and Tahereh must repeatedly rehearse a scene where, as fictional characters, they look lovingly at each other and speak as husband and wife. Between takes, Hossein pleads his real case, while Tahereh remains silent and avoids eye contact.
The narrative evolution of the trilogy is unique in film history: Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami
Through the Olive Trees is a slow, quiet, demanding film. If you require car chases or three-act structure, look elsewhere. But if you are willing to sit with imperfection, repetition, and the stubborn beauty of human connection, it is a masterpiece.
Abbas Kiarostami’s Through the Olive Trees (1994) is a seminal work of Iranian cinema, serving as the concluding chapter of the acclaimed Koker Trilogy The final seven minutes of Through the Olive
(1992): A fictionalized director searches for the child actors from the first film after the earthquake. Through the Olive Trees
The film tells the story of a young man, Hossain (played by Beshroti), who wants to marry a young woman, Tahereh (played by Pirooz Karkhaneh). However, their social differences and the fact that Tahereh is already engaged to someone else complicate their love. Between takes, Hossein pleads his real case, while
While Kiarostami himself often resisted the "trilogy" label, critics have long grouped Through the Olive Trees with Where Is the Friend's House? (1987) and And Life Goes On (1992). The films are linked by their setting in the rural village of in northern Iran, a region devastated by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in 1990.