Abbas Kiarostami and Film-Philosophy

by Mathew Abbott

Mathew Abbott presents a powerful new film-philosophy through the cinema of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. Mathew Abbott argues that Kiarostami's films carry out cinematic thinking: they do not just illustrate pre-existing philosophical ideas, but do real philosophical work.

Crossing the divide between analytic and continental philosophy, he draws on Ludwig Wittgenstein, Stanley Cavell, John McDowell, Alice Crary, Noel Carroll, Giorgio Agamben, and Martin Heidegger, bringing out the thinking at work in Kiarostami's most recent films: Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, ABC Africa, Ten, Five, Shirin, Certified Copy, and Like Someone in Love.

Genres: Film

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Yü · Rating 3 out of 5]

While occasionally I enjoyed the brilliant analysis in this book, I found a large trunk of the book rather academic and cold, completely lacking the warm, reassuring temperature in Kiaraostami's work. As observant and pensive Abbas is, he is always a poet, not a philosopher.

[Naim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great piece of work. I do like the reference to Hiroshi Sugimoto.

[Afshin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mathew Abbott’s thoughts on Kiarostami’s latest films is really impressive! Ornamented with detail description of the plots, he picks the philosophical core of each film and presents such a brief and yet insightful view to persuading us that his films are not just merely philosophical but they actually philosophize! As such, through the book, you will find yourself following the discussion between Kiarostami’s Films and philosophers like Wittgenstein, Cavell, McDowell, Crary, Carroll, Agamben and even Heidegger. A feast not to be missed!