Life, and Nothing More... (1992, Persian, زندگی و دیگر هیچ Zindagi va digar hich)
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
This film is considered the second instalment in the Koker trilogy - the first, being 'Where is the friend's home' (1987) and the third is 'Through the Olive Tree' (1995). It is a semi-documentary film that narrates the tale of a movie director and his son who return to the site of the first film to locate its actors. They revisit the area, which in real life, had been hit by a devastating earthquake. It showcases how people in this tragedy hit zone find solace in continuing their lives.
Devastation is everywhere. Loved one are dead and dreams are shattered. Homes are destroyed, and the remaining water supply is rudimentary. But, life, the essence of our existence continues. People still manage to put on a smile. They still marry even though it is still within the 'mourning period'. Their rationale was that the dead did not see it coming, but the living had to continue living. They still kept their faith with the tuft of hope that the Almighty would not abandon them.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
This film is considered the second instalment in the Koker trilogy - the first, being 'Where is the friend's home' (1987) and the third is 'Through the Olive Tree' (1995). It is a semi-documentary film that narrates the tale of a movie director and his son who return to the site of the first film to locate its actors. They revisit the area, which in real life, had been hit by a devastating earthquake. It showcases how people in this tragedy hit zone find solace in continuing their lives.
Devastation is everywhere. Loved one are dead and dreams are shattered. Homes are destroyed, and the remaining water supply is rudimentary. But, life, the essence of our existence continues. People still manage to put on a smile. They still marry even though it is still within the 'mourning period'. Their rationale was that the dead did not see it coming, but the living had to continue living. They still kept their faith with the tuft of hope that the Almighty would not abandon them.
The kids in this film, despite the heart-wrenching misery around them, as far as the eyes can see, are all excited, just as much as the adults, when a TV antenna is installed in the relief camps to view the remaining matches of The FIFA World Cup.
Life has so many diversions to keep sanity in people - weddings, meaningless soccer games and God. The last scene in the offering sums up the whole philosophy of life. The director's car struggle to scale the steep hill that it has to take to reach Koker. A passerby, himself struggling with a cooking gas tank over his shoulder, helps him to push his car. The director, once he got his car in order, offers him a ride to ease his burden. That is life and nothing more. We struggle, we persevere with the curveballs hurled at us, we stay resilient, and we fight back to come up tops again, another day. That is the spirit of the human race.
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