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186 Kieślowski and Kiarostami A Metaphysical Cinema Introduction Kieślowski has been described as a metaphysical filmmaker on more than one occasion. That designation certainly becomes evident when his work is compared with that of other filmmakers who similarly strive to represent the ineffable features of human reality. Recently, Kieślowski’s style has been fruitfully juxtaposed with a quintessential metaphysical director, Andrei Tarkovsky (Kickasola). I would like to attempt something similar here by comparing certain elements of Kieślowski’s cinema with the films of one of his contemporaries , the celebrated Iranian cineaste Abbas Kiarostami. What unites both of these filmmakers, despite their obvious cultural and ethnic differences, is a firm intuition that reality conceals within itself the invisible markings of our nature as desiring, moral, and spiritual agents. At first glance, the juxtaposition of these two auteurs might seem odd. It is not immediately apparent what connects the two: they seem, on the surface of things, to inhabit very different universes. Kieślowski’s world combines several of the unique and often contradictory elements that characterized Poland during the second half of the twentieth century. This period, of course, was marked by the tensions between the communist regime and various forces of resistance that would eventually cohere as the Solidarity movement, and the powerful influence of the Catholic Church (which also played a vital role in Solidarity). As Kieślowski represents it, the characters inhabiting this world frequently appeal, directly and indirectly, to their Catholic heritage in their struggle against the despondency fostered by communist rule. Despite his own major reservations with official church doctrine, the major staples of Catholic thought—moral law, sin, guilt, free will, angels—infuse Kieślowski’s world. This is clearly evident in the Decalogue (1988). Even the non-Polish films John Caruana 11 187 KieŚlowski and Kiarostami: A Metaphysical Cinema make recourse to the unmistakable influence of Catholicism. Three Colors: Blue (1993), for instance, is punctuated with such Catholic iconography and themes as crucifixes, the obligation to forgive, and Paul’s famous words about the nature of love. Kiarostami’s universe, on the other hand, is set squarely in the midst of the world’s first modern theocracy. His characters also have recourse to a long-established spiritual heritage, but one that seems light-years away from Kieślowski’s. Kiarostami’s spiritual points of reference are rooted, of course, in Persian culture, especially in its storytelling and mystical traditions . This spiritual influence, which can be discerned in much of his work, is particularly pronounced in his critically acclaimed Koker Trilogy. There are other differences between the two filmmakers. Kieślowski’s world feels cramped, not surprisingly, given that virtually all of his films are set in urban environments; some of these in the soul-destroying Soviet-style housing that defines this period. Kiarostami’s world, on the other hand, consists primarily of wide open landscapes; interior shots are almost nonexistent in his films. Kieślowski’s universe is often interrupted by music. His films frequently employ diegetic and nondiegetic music to signal a moment of transcendence or rupture. The Double Life of Véronique (1991), for example, excels at this technique. By contrast, it is poetry, more so than music, that serves to disturb the inertia of life in a typical Kiarostami film. This is not surprising, given that poetry was and continues to be a major art form in Iranian culture. These differences between the Polish and the Iranian directors are certainly not minor. But with great filmmakers of this caliber we ought not to let such differences get in the way of seeing possible shared deeper currents. Despite the obvious differences, there are some significant similarities between the two that I will map out in this chapter. These similarities, as I hope to show, warrant the label “metaphysical cinema.” As we will see, both Kieślowski and Kiarostami share (1) a Bazinian-like passion for cinematically representing the truth about the world; (2) a vigilant gaze that is directed not only toward the world around them but more significantly, and, more uncommonly, at least with respect to the history of cinema, toward their own selves; and finally , (3) a desire to catch a glimpse of the ways that we attain transcendence in the midst of the mysterious intertwinement of life and death. Searching for Truth in the PostmodernAge Kieślowski and Kiarostami share a refreshing refusal to tarry with the reigning intellectual paradigms of our times. Despite...

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