Like Someone in Love
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Synopsis
Abbas Kiarostami has spent his incomparable career exploring the spaces that separate illusion from reality and the simulated from the authentic. At first, his extraordinary and sly Like Someone in Love, which finds the Iranian director in Tokyo, may appear to be among his most straightforward films. Yet with this simple story of the growing bond between a young student and part-time call girl and a grandfatherly client, Kiarostami has constructed an enigmatic but crystalline investigation of affection and desire as complex as his masterful Close-up and Certified Copy in its engagement with the workings of the mercurial human heart.
Picture 9/10
Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love gets a dual-format release that presents the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The film is presented in a 1080p/24hz high-definition transfer on a dual-layer Blu-ray disc. A standard definition version that has been enhanced for widescreen televisions is presented on a dual-layer DVD.
Shot on digital, the film’s transfer seems to come straight from the digital source, with only some colour correcting done. What we get is certainly nice looking: detail is strong, colours are nicely rendered, blacks are surprisingly strong, if crushed in a few scenes, and there are at least no noticeable artifacts. I guess my only issue, and one I’m finding with a lot of films shot on digital (though not all,) is just a generally flat look to the image, where even textures don’t come through all that well. But this could be just a byproduct of filming, equipment, or what Kiarostami wanted.
The DVD’s standard definition transfer isn’t as clean as the Blu-rays, presenting some noticeable compression, but detail levels are strong and colours and black levels are also top notch.
In all, the transfer is good, only held back by some possible limitations of the technology.
Like Someone in Love - Screen Captures
Audio 8/10
The film’s 3.0 soundtrack is actually presented in 5.1 DTS-HD MA on the Blu-ray and Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD. Other than maybe two moments in the film (a character yelling at the beginning and a loud noise at the film’s climax) the audio is generally quiet, but it’s clear and easy to hear, with no distortion or noise. It’s stated this is a 3.0 surround track but I admittedly didn’t notice any activity in the rear speakers and only noticed audio coming from the front three.
Extras 4/10
Criterion only includes one significant supplement though at least it’s a strong one. The Making of Like Someone in Love is a 47-minute making-of featuring footage shot by Kiarostami during filming. The footage shot showcases various rehearsals and behind-the-scenes moments, along with interviews with the members of the cast and crew. Kiarostami narrates over the footage, talking about a variety of subjects from set design to the development of the script, including a somewhat surprising explanation for the ending. He talks a little about 35mm vs. digital, with the director preferring digital because he doesn’t have to worry about wasting film, which allows him to catch moments he otherwise wouldn’t have. There are also some rather great moments, like when Kirostami asks his one star to look at the various photos scattered around the apartment set and notice an element probably key to the character’s motivation. There’s also another excellent moment where Kiarostami asks his cast and crew whether they think, or even want, the two characters “got together,” almost everyone responding in the same way. We also get to see the director work with his performers and build up scenes. It’s a solid documentary, managing to offer some great details and insights into the film and Kiarostami’s intent with it.
Unfortunately that’s all there really is. There is the French theatrical trailer and a booklet with an okay essay on the film by Nicco Baumbach. It seems like it’s a film prime for some more scholarly features, but alas it’s not to be.
Closing
A ho-hum edition: despite a strong documentary the supplements severely disappoint. At least the transfer looks fine.
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