A slow, beautiful film that makes you sit with your own thoughts. It’s quiet, emotional, and honest, like a long drive that makes you question what really matters. The ending doesn’t give answers, just peace.

This was the first film I watched of Kiarostami's filmography, many years ago, and it made an impact on me. Powerful philosopical drama

A brilliant film. Captivating because you can't help but put yourself in their shoes. And then the ending could have gone a million different ways whilst still being captivating. The set up to the denouement is brilliant and whilst the ending may be lacklustre, it remains entirely valid. My one quibble is that the main protagonist simply doesn't act like someone exhibiting suicidal angst in any way shape or form which diminishes the impact a little. The premise wins over n the end. Iran has produced many brilliant low budget films and this Palme D'Or winner is one of them. They rely on brilliant screenplay in the manner of the classic Hollywood films and it never grows old. Watched on YouTube.

Narrated as if it were a documentary, it intelligently addresses a rather delicate topic: suicide. Without the support of a musical score, and a mysterious ending that does not provoke indifference, it is one of many good examples of Middle Eastern cinema.

Almost good but the ending is abrupt and irrelevant at all.

An overrated bore. Arthouse pretense.

This is a thought provoking and somewhat philosophical watch. Its quite low key, almost documentary in style. The plot was rather slow and perhaps a little meandering. Its a sobering watch - an interesting one. I liked the discussions had, hearing different peoples opinions about a deeply personal matter. I'm not sure I'd specifically recommend it as such but its certainly not bad either.

Iranian auteur Abbas Kiarostami's A Taste of Cherry is an insightful and interesting examination of one man's choice of death over life. In the hilly and arid landscape outside Tehran, the suicidal Mr Badii travels the countryside searching for an accomplice in his unusual quest, which involves a large payment of money in exchange for a simple task – if his suicide attempt is successful, place twenty shovelfuls of dirt over his body. A Taste of Cherry is poetic, hypnotic and challenging as it explores its complex themes. One would think that a film set almost exclusively in and around a character's car would eventually grow stale, but it manages to hold the viewer's attention based simply on the intelligence of the dialogue. Unfortunately, the pretentious final scene feels totally out of place and severely impacts the power of the film as a whole. What a shame.

Somebody could have made a fortune by renting lone vehicles and long strips of twisting mountain road to Abbas Kiarostami. Slow and methodical, but continuously suspenseful. Small-scale, but profound in implication. Sparse in explicit character detail, but entirely character-driven. Yup, it's a Kiarostami film alright. I swear, nobody has done pure humanity better than him, conveying these profound commentaries on different aspects of life that feel so tender and universal because of how carefully he constructs his characters and the realism that he imparts to his dialogue. Through small moments, he can set you on a path of self-reflection that digs up your own thoughts, fears, and hopes on a particular subject; in Taste of Cherry, it's the perception of life itself, particularly suicide. Homayoun Ershadi's Badii continuously tries to convince others to assist him in carrying out the end of his own life, promoting their involvement as a matter of practicality, religion, and mercy, among other features, in doing so revealing facets of his own personality as well as potentially changing his own conviction. And through all of this, there are never more than two people speaking to each other at a time. Great film, an all-time classic whose scale contrasts its scope. (4.5/5)

Hypnotic, meditative, and thought-provoking, Taste of Cherry guides the audience through its devastating themes with such pleasant pacing and empathy that I could not help but feel totally immersed in Kiarostami's vision of Iran. Suspenseful, delicate, and tasteful, Taste of Cherry is a film that stays true to itself and narrative, advocating the importance of the intricacies and small things in life that we often ignore. A film that will stay with me for a long time and will always remind me in this busy world we live in to stop and smell the roses, and, to always treasure the taste of cherries. A must-watch if your last name is Loughnane or Gleeson.

Very slow film. Characters not relatable.

We follow the depressed, unlikeable Mr. Baddi wend his way through the hills in his Land Rover as he offers random strangers a large sum of money to go to a specified hole in the ground the next morning at 6 am, to call his name...and if he answers they should help him out of the hole, if he doesn't answer he will have succeeded in killing himself so they should throw 20 spadefuls of dirt over him. Unfortunately, we don't get to know Mr. Baddi whom I found alternately vaguely sinister, self-absorbed and empty. There was nothing there, at least for me, to relate to.

Taste of Cherry (Ta'm-e gilās...) is a touching and brilliant film directed by the great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. This true masterpiece tells of Mr. Badii who wants to commit suicide and is looking for someone who offers to bury him after his disappearance. Kiarostami manages to tell this story without too much sentimentality and without making it become a melodrama. Thanks to its excellent cinematography and careful choice of setting, the film manages to portray some beautiful views of Iran. The brilliant script succeeds in describing the characters who take turns in front of the camera excellently and realistically. It's a great movie to see at least once in a lifetime.

The decision is made. Badii is intent to end his life, and all he asks for is someone who could bury him as he's lying in his grave he's already dug out. We have no idea why exactly Badii is willing to kill himself. And in this lack of explanation not only we're asked to focus on the 99-minute journey instead of the destination, but we're also implicitly informed that Badii's soul is no longer being tormented but it's already gasping out its last breath; which means it's not dead yet, though. If it hadn't been for Homayoun Ershadi, Badii would've seemed dead, even as he's driving his truck. For Eshadi's sorrow-laden eyes expose the misery that burdens Badii's soul and, in turn, prompts him to "free [himself] from this life," and that what makes him clutching at a straw even if he himself is completely unaware of that. There's nothing surrounding him that could urge him to give the idea a second thought. All we see are some bleak and dismally empty and desolate landscapes. The sound of silence permeate the screen to reflect the excruciating ennui Badii feels, and the only sounds that break the silence intermittently are the cacophonous sound of machines or other jarring sounds. Kiarostami also detaches him, and us, from the world Badii has long forsaken, making us listen to conversations with the speakers almost off-screen. And the only life form Badii seems to observe are not of the people he interacts with—simply because his mind is solely concentrating on seeking someone to assist him do what he wants—but those of crows. Along his journey, innate goodness of human beings like "refraining from doing any harm to anyone" or "offering a hand whenever encountering someone in need or trouble" are manifested, but so long as these traits interfere with Badii's intent, they come off as hurdles to what he plans to do and they just end up pass by him unnoticed. As he's in a stage beyond any rational thinking, religious and philosophical advices fall on deaf ears as well. No one can change his mind. A long lecturing would definitely be of no help, unless beneath its veneer of didacticism lies a life-affirming power and an irrefutable optimism of an epiphanic impact. What kept me from giving this five stars is that the lack of information about Badii distanced me emotionally from him at the beginning. Regardless, Taste of Cherry is a minimalist masterpiece that celebrates life by showing us its value and beauty hidden in its simplicity.

A film I have heard about for a very long time, wanted to see a long time and had in my shelf for a long time. i never knew the plot thought, but it's strong. A man is searching for someone to burry him. He is going to kill himself, but he wants to get buried near a cherry three. The hole has already been digged, the plan is settled. He searches in the hillside, where he travel by car as he asks men for the deed. He has stashed the car with a reward and he tells them his plan. We watch men that slowly turn away from the plan, into the plan or trying to convince the man to live on. One of Abbas Kiarostami's most known films and a Palme d'Or winner. It's slow, almost meditative and it's very humane, dark and also quite slow and humble. Few big scenes, some very wise, poetic words and a lovely shot film. It's a bit boring at times, but it's not too long and the strong plot makes it well worth the effort of giving it a look as the climax and it's build up is a solid hit. 7 out of 10 mulberries.

1001 movies to see before you die. This was a slow character study about suicide in Iran. The subtle cultural nuances were good. YouTube I saw it.

A film that flourishes in its simplicity, minimalism and ambiguity and whose end is, however, a bit of a letdown.

Taste of Cherry is the supremely rare film that manages to be both suspenseful and contemplative in equally thorough measures. This dichotomy falls in nicely with the observation by film historian Hamid Naficy that Kiarostami himself was both Iran's most international filmmaker, and its most local. Unlike any other Iranian filmmaker (and there are many great ones), he was able to both flare out to a global audience hungry for his work while also depicting lesser known aspects of the deep soul of his own country. He did it all as a man as interested in the mechanics and construction of roads as he was interested in the plight and experiences of children. From there, he developed as an unconventional filmmaker, unfettered by whatever Iran's restrictions levied, both real and perceived.

"Taste of Cherry" is a message film that talks about Life, death, and suicide. It also talks about small reasons why the person wants to suicide can stop himself for little cute happiness in life such as watching the full moon, sunset-sunrise, beautiful landscapes and tells that reasons for living are much more than to die, although the film does not disclose why the main character of the film "Mr. Badii" wants to suicide. The film starts with Mr. Badii looking for something or someone in his car around dusty places and it takes a while to disclose to him what is he looking for which makes the film a little bit slow in starting which can be boring for viewers looking for entertainment in the film. When he discloses his suicidal plan to 3 people in the film one by one, which is almost the whole film is, he offers them a good amount to bury him in his grave which he already digs, first two of them refuses to do so with some regional and ethical reasons and then comes the third person who agrees to do it for him because he needs money for treatment of his kid, but he tells him the importance and beauty of Life with his story, which is the whole film is about. The film starts with dusty and rough places and moves to beautiful and colorful places as the story goes on which is brilliantly done, although the cinematography is not so dynamic, just a few simple shots yet beautiful and same one person camera angle in the whole film which may give an incomplete feeling of the film according to the story. In the end, the film leaves the audience with a few question marks like did he die or not? why did he want to die? why did he want to die like this only? these questions remain unanswered till the end but maybe the conversation with the third guy which says "you will be alive when I come in the morning to put earth on your grave" gives the Blurry answer to the ending! Overall film is a good story made for people looking for a good story only with a message. the people looking for fast entertainment will be disappointed for sure.

Taste of Cherry is an intriguing movie that hits the ball onto the green, but not into the hole, and rolls into the rough for the final "scene." The story can be summed up as follows: a suicidal man drives around the outskirts of Tehran looking for someone who will bury his corpse for a good sum of money the following morning. Without much of a plot, Kiarostami drags out every scene with long takes to get to an acceptable run time. I admit I was drawn into the story, as I am with most stories that have a question mark hanging over them. The cinematography and unique setting also help. However, the film was something of a letdown overall. We never learn why the main character, Badii, wants to commit suicide, so it is hard to feel sorry for him. We just know he is in pain. It takes a while to even learn what Badii's motivation is. Early on the film hints he is looking to pay for some sort of homosexual hookup. This is just a sort of tease until we learn what he is really looking for. Then there is the final scene, which is a behind-the-scenes revealing shot a la the final shot in Ingmar Bergman's Persona. This is a cheap, faux-artsy move that adds nothing, but in fact detracts as it reminds us we're watching a film for some reason. I already knew I was watching a film--I was the one who put in the DVD, after all. Just a stupid ending to an otherwise OK piece of cinema.