It would be hard to find a more appropriately named film than Abbas Kiarostami's And Life Goes On. Taking place in the days following a massive earthquake, the film shows the people from the decimated area moving on and going about their lives despite the horrific tragedy they experienced and the harrowing challenges it brought about in their lives. Life goes on because it has to. Countless small moments of normalcy can be seen throughout the film. Whether it's two kids flipping a conversation from the destruction of the earthquake to who will win the World Cup, a son asking his father if he can stay some place longer to play with his new friends, or people getting together to watch a soccer game, each instance of regular, day-to-day behaviors are treated with a great sense of appreciation by Kiarostami.
The film is also sometimes known by another title, Life, and Nothing More..., which is just as fitting as the first title. It's a film about life and only life that Showcases and champions the resiliency of the human spirit. An elderly woman figures a way to dig a rug out of the ruins of her home by herself because she thinks everyone else is too busy with their own problems to help; a young couple married the day after the earthquake; a wide range of different people carry all sorts of different items (most of them heavy) that they found in the rubble far distances because their families need these things-there are so many examples of people just moving on and living their lives that highlight the extraordinary resolve that humans are capable of possessing. Much like how beauty is abundant in the film's cinematography despite the devastation of the landscape, life will always find a way to make it and flourish no matter how bad things may be.
And Life Goes On is the second entry into Kiarostami's Koker Trilogy, and it is an excellent companion to Where Is the Friend's House?. They are wildly different in terms of structure and narrative, but they both take place in the same area, and both contain themes surrounding childhood and explore the dynamic between kids and adults, though they do so very differently. And Life Goes On examines innocence and childlike curiosity by acknowledging the fact that young people aren't able to fully grasp the true weight of a tragedy. Primarily through the relationship between the filmmaker and his son, it also takes a deeper dive into the dynamic between the younger and older generations. While there was more understanding shown between the two than in the previous film, it still emphasized the disconnect that's present between them. At the very beginning, the director and his son, Puya, were riding together in a car for what seemed like a far distance. They talked, which mostly involved Puya bombarding his father with questions that were always answered patiently. During the ride, the film director rode was driving and Puya sat in the back seat-physically illustrating the slight disconnect and lack of total understanding between them. Later in the film, Puya is talking to one of the earthquake victims, and he repeats, nearly word for word, something his dad had said during their car ride. It's a rather small moment in the grand scheme of the film, but it is a great one because shows how much kids look up to their parents and how they so often absorb whatever is said. Kiarostami once again crafted a film with great care and attention to detail, making sure each moment is purposeful.
The biggest difference between And Life Goes On and Where Is the Friend's House? Is that this film is not entirely fiction. It is based off of a trip that Kiarostami and his son actually took to find the actors from Where Is the Friend's House? After they heard about the earthquake. While And Life Goes On is still a narrative feature, it is uncertain how much of it was real and how much was scripted. It feels completely real-almost as if it was a documentary. There is no telling how much of himself Kiarostami put into the film director's character, but it is interesting to think that he may have done a bit of a character study on himself. Regardless of how much is true or not, he was able to blend fact and fiction so seamlessly that it all felt entirely real. And Life Goes On is a powerful film about people finding ways to move on and live their lives in the wake of a devastating tragedy. It's a masterful piece of work by the great Abbas Kiarostami, but more importantly, it is a touching tribute to the victims of the horrific earthquake of Guilan.
The film is also sometimes known by another title, Life, and Nothing More..., which is just as fitting as the first title. It's a film about life and only life that Showcases and champions the resiliency of the human spirit. An elderly woman figures a way to dig a rug out of the ruins of her home by herself because she thinks everyone else is too busy with their own problems to help; a young couple married the day after the earthquake; a wide range of different people carry all sorts of different items (most of them heavy) that they found in the rubble far distances because their families need these things-there are so many examples of people just moving on and living their lives that highlight the extraordinary resolve that humans are capable of possessing. Much like how beauty is abundant in the film's cinematography despite the devastation of the landscape, life will always find a way to make it and flourish no matter how bad things may be.
And Life Goes On is the second entry into Kiarostami's Koker Trilogy, and it is an excellent companion to Where Is the Friend's House?. They are wildly different in terms of structure and narrative, but they both take place in the same area, and both contain themes surrounding childhood and explore the dynamic between kids and adults, though they do so very differently. And Life Goes On examines innocence and childlike curiosity by acknowledging the fact that young people aren't able to fully grasp the true weight of a tragedy. Primarily through the relationship between the filmmaker and his son, it also takes a deeper dive into the dynamic between the younger and older generations. While there was more understanding shown between the two than in the previous film, it still emphasized the disconnect that's present between them. At the very beginning, the director and his son, Puya, were riding together in a car for what seemed like a far distance. They talked, which mostly involved Puya bombarding his father with questions that were always answered patiently. During the ride, the film director rode was driving and Puya sat in the back seat-physically illustrating the slight disconnect and lack of total understanding between them. Later in the film, Puya is talking to one of the earthquake victims, and he repeats, nearly word for word, something his dad had said during their car ride. It's a rather small moment in the grand scheme of the film, but it is a great one because shows how much kids look up to their parents and how they so often absorb whatever is said. Kiarostami once again crafted a film with great care and attention to detail, making sure each moment is purposeful.
The biggest difference between And Life Goes On and Where Is the Friend's House? Is that this film is not entirely fiction. It is based off of a trip that Kiarostami and his son actually took to find the actors from Where Is the Friend's House? After they heard about the earthquake. While And Life Goes On is still a narrative feature, it is uncertain how much of it was real and how much was scripted. It feels completely real-almost as if it was a documentary. There is no telling how much of himself Kiarostami put into the film director's character, but it is interesting to think that he may have done a bit of a character study on himself. Regardless of how much is true or not, he was able to blend fact and fiction so seamlessly that it all felt entirely real. And Life Goes On is a powerful film about people finding ways to move on and live their lives in the wake of a devastating tragedy. It's a masterful piece of work by the great Abbas Kiarostami, but more importantly, it is a touching tribute to the victims of the horrific earthquake of Guilan.