Through the Olive Trees is a profound and poignant film that transcends its simple premise. Through its clever narrative structure, masterful direction, and stunning cinematography, Abbas Kiarostami creates a work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. It is a film about love, loss, and the power of art to reflect—and perhaps, in some small way, to heal—the human condition. Key Takeaways
The of the Iranian New Wave in global cinema
Upon its release, Through the Olive Trees was greeted with widespread acclaim. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, won the Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago Film Festival, and picked up numerous other international honors. Critics praised its "wry, compassionate observation" of human behavior and its "ineffably lovely" meditation on the relationship between cinema and reality. Jonathan Rosenbaum, one of Kiarostami's most eloquent champions, called it "an entertaining and sometimes beautiful film" that strategically elides information to invite audiences to fill in the blanks.
As filming wraps, Tahereh walks home across a vast, rolling green landscape, passing through a magnificent grove of olive trees. Hossein pursues her on foot, continuing his passionate monologue. Kiarostami’s camera pulls back into an extreme long shot, rendering the two characters as tiny dots against the majestic expanse of nature.
The film's cinematography is breathtaking, with Kiarostami's signature use of long takes and static shots that capture the serene beauty of the Iranian landscape. The camera lingers on the olive trees, the rolling hills, and the rustic village homes, creating a sense of timelessness and stillness. The use of natural light and the subtle play of shadows add to the film's poetic and introspective mood. Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami
What happens next is the stuff of legend. Tahereh finally stops at a fork in the road. She steps over a large ditch. Hossein follows. The camera, unable to cross the ditch due to the jeep's limitations, stays behind. We hear the dialogue move away.
As a filmmaker, Kiarostami is known for his minimalist approach, often allowing silence to tell the story. In Through the Olive Trees , this is evident in:
(1987): A straightforward story about a boy trying to return a classmate's notebook. And Life Goes On
Through the Olive Trees is the most humanist of films. It transcends its brainy meta-cinema puzzles to become a gentle human comedy steeped in the folkways of rural life. The film's radical empathy lies in its refusal to judge Hossein's persistence or Tahereh's silence. It simply observes. The film is an ode to life's persistence in the face of unimaginable loss. The earthquake devastated the community, but the film is filled with images of resilient people, beautiful landscapes, and the eternal olive trees, which the poet Mahmoud Darwish described as "the hillside's modest lady". The trees, ancient and twisted, become symbols of a life force that endures beyond tragedy. Through the Olive Trees is a profound and
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The film is celebrated for its breathtaking final sequence. Captured in an extreme long shot, the camera remains stationary as Hossein chases Tahereh through a vast, green olive grove. They dissolve into tiny white dots against the landscape.
But here is where Kiarostami's brilliant conceit emerges. The film being shot within the film requires a young married couple, and the director, oblivious to or perhaps amused by the real‑life tension, casts Hossein and Tahereh in the roles of husband and wife. Suddenly, the young bricklayer who cannot speak to the girl of his dreams is required to perform marriage with her, take after take, under the watchful eye of the director and the crew.
Abbas Kiarostami's Through the Olive Trees a masterful work of meta-cinema that concludes the acclaimed Koker Trilogy Key Takeaways The of the Iranian New Wave
Kiarostami was a master of meta-cinema, and Through the Olive Trees represents the peak of this technique.
The climax strips away all conventional cinema. After their final scene, Tahereh walks away through a vast, undulating green landscape, ignoring Hossein. He follows her, and the two become mere specks in the distance. The camera holds them there, two tiny figures among the olive trees, in an extended long shot that critic Jonathan Rosenbaum famously called "a long shot that serves as a question".
As they dwindle into tiny specks in the landscape, Hossein catches up to her. They exchange words that the audience cannot hear. Suddenly, Hossein turns and runs back through the trees, filled with an ambiguous, euphoric energy. By withholding the audio and keeping his distance, Kiarostami respects the privacy of his characters, leaving the resolution of their love story to the viewer's imagination. Legacy and Impact
True to Kiarostami's style, the film relies heavily on ellipsis—what is left unsaid or unseen. Tahereh remains largely silent throughout the film, her thoughts hidden from both Hossein and the audience. This forces the viewer to become an active participant, interpreting her subtle gestures, glances, and posture. The Legendary Final Shot