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Taste of Cherry

Name: Taste of Cherry
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Released: 1997
Duration: 99 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

1997

Not Rated

Director

Abbas Kiarostami

Runtime

99 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Abbas Kiarostami’s masterpiece is a landmark of postmodern cinema that prioritizes philosophical inquiry over traditional demographic representation. It disrupts conventional narrative structures and challenges the authority of the cinematic image through meta-fictional techniques. While the film scores low in traditional metrics like gender and LGBTQ+ presence, it achieves progressive value through its intellectual subversion. It avoids easy moral resolutions, instead embracing a sophisticated, non-traditional framework that explores the individual's search for meaning. The work is a deeply Iranian production that avoids the 'white gaze' by centering a non-Western protagonist. It uses the specific cultural context of Tehran to facilitate a universal exploration of existential solitude.

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Category Breakdown

Does Taste of Cherry have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any representation of LGBTQ+ identities. The story revolves around a male protagonist and his interactions with other men.

How does Taste of Cherry portray gender?

Limited

The story lacks women's ability to drive the story, focusing almost entirely on the male experience of isolation and mortality. Women play minor roles in the narrative.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Taste of Cherry?

Fair

The film depicts Iranian life in depth, providing a rich look at the local social fabric. The cast is ethnically homogeneous but offers a detailed view of Iranian culture.

How does Taste of Cherry represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative explores moral relativism and existentialism through religious discussions, such as a meeting with a seminarian, to delve into subjective meaning.

Does Taste of Cherry include disability representation?

Fair

The protagonist's profound existential despair and suicidal thoughts drive the plot. His mental state is used to explore philosophical themes rather than neurodivergent experiences.

Present on Screen

Provides a robust, non-Western perspective that avoids the 'white gaze' by centering Iranian life.
Challenges traditional moralities and institutional truths through a sophisticated, meta-fictional narrative.
Offers deep philosophical exploration of existentialism and moral relativism.

Limited or Absent

Lacks women's ability to drive the story and diverse gender perspectives within the narrative.
Features a significant absence of LGBTQ+ representation or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
The protagonist's psychological state is used for philosophy rather than exploring neurodivergent experiences.

Official Synopsis

A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student, asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.

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