Like Someone in Love (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray + DVD)

Before his last film 24 Frames Kiarostami made this one in Japan. It is a beautiful movie and highly recommended.

Like Someone in Love is a film that feels small on the surface but slowly reveals a lot beneath it. The story unfolds through quiet conversations, awkward silences, and moments that feel almost uncomfortably real. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is spelled out for you — the film trusts the viewer completely. What makes this movie so compelling is the emotional tension. The relationship dynamics are complex and ambiguous, and you’re constantly questioning what each character is thinking or hiding. It feels intimate without being sentimental, and restrained without being cold. The pacing is deliberate, and the final moments linger long after the film ends. It’s the kind of movie you keep thinking about, replaying scenes in your head, noticing details you may have missed the first time. This is not a conventional or crowd-pleasing film, and it doesn’t try to be. But if you enjoy thoughtful, character-driven cinema that rewards patience and attention, this is absolutely worth watching.

Superb look into the mysteries of the human heart. Imagine if "The Great Gatsby" had ended with the body floating in the pool, with all else left up to you. Was Gatsby's quest to reclaim his past a failure? a lie? what was his life? why did he befriend Nick? do we ever know why we do what we do when the heart interacts with the dictates and demands of the world around us? Extraordinary casting and astonishing performances lead us on a voyage of introspection and discovery.

But it just didn't rise to the occasion. A huge disappointment.

Beautiful slice of life from an unexpected angle.

A young woman and her female friend work as call girls in a high end club. Her friend has a thick skin and is able to have fun in this gig. The young woman is trying to finish college and is torn apart by all the circumstances of her life. Enter an older professor. The tarot card with the heart - dealt upside down. Beautifully done movie however.

Any fan of Abbas Kiarostami should enjoy this, and it is so interesting to see his work in a japanese setting. Something about it reminds me a little of films directed by Yasujirō Ozu.

Its unfortunate the filmmakers are so apparently ignorant of basic movie-making skills because their main characters are engaging, but go absolutely nowhere in a story that is stuptifyingly simplistic. There are actually scenes that last upwards of 10 minutes or more--I counted 3 or 4--and there is absolutely nothing in them that couldn't be said in a couple minutes or less. I'm a writer, and have literally never seen this in a movie before. Unbelieveable. And the ending is absolutely meaningless. If you're an existentialist, you'll love it.