Where Is the Friend’s House? Iranian poetry
“Where Is the Friend’s House?” — A Review
I watched Where Is the Friend’s House? recently, and the cinephile in me was genuinely confused. Is this poetry, or just a movie about a kid walking around, searching for his friend’s house to return a notebook?
That’s the whole plot. But here’s the distinction.. if you go in expecting to see real Iranian villages, schools, and people, this is exactly what you get. Raw Persia, unfiltered.
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From start to finish, you’re hooked. The classroom scenes feel nostalgic and authentic.. you never feel like you’re watching something shot through a camera; it feels like you’re simply there. The child’s innocence is what holds your attention the whole way through, watching his inner conflict as he fights himself and his surroundings just to do what he believes is right. Meanwhile, Iranian culture and daily life flow quietly along the edges of every frame.
The landscapes are almost too beautiful to take in — the local Persian architecture alone is worth the watch. And the background score is hard to miss, once you notice it, you won’t forget it. It’s as innocent as eight-year-old Ahmed himself.
Whether he delivers the book or not is for you to find out.
But the ending… that heavy wind crashing through his window, scattering all his papers across the room, is the one image you’ll carry with you long after.
Watch his innocence through the eyes of Abbas Kiarostami.
