And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie Review

The best in the Koker Trilogy: a masterpiece that will leave viewers stunned

And Life Goes On is a testament to the will of the human spirit. As the title of the film suggests, even when disaster and disappoint greets us as human beings we still find ways to persevere and continue. The Guilan area of Koker was struck with a disastrous earthquake which completely destroyed homes and left many of its citizens stranded and with lost loved ones. The reality of this tragedy is examined (though never the central emphasis of the filmmaking). Kiarostami's humanity is felt with great admiration for the people of Koker and their will to continue.

The journey of the story focuses on a film director (Farhad Kheradmand) and his young son, Puya (Buba Bayour) as they travel back to Koker in search of the young child actors who starred in the production the director made before the tragedy surrounding the earthquake in Koker. The film is sparse with little dialogue and only a few key characters. Yet the journey taken is one that is so rewarding and enlightening that one can't help but be transported.

The filmmaking is embellished with an outstanding performance from lead actor Farhad Kheradmand. The actor is highly empathetic and made this a compelling performance that helped the film to reach the full potential of the story. Of interesting note is the fact that the actor (who was an unknown non-actor cast by Kiarostami after the actor met him at a party) was required to drive for the part yet the actor didn't know how to drive. This was a surprise to both Kheradmand (who said yes to the project before reading the script) and to the director as well. The opening scene shows Kheradmand driving up to a booth. (In reality, production members had to push the vehicle up to the station.) Driving lessons followed.

A master-class performance by Farhad Kheradmand

In one of the film's most poignant scenes, the director sees a young man heading out to watch a sports game on television with friends on one of the few surviving TV's in the area. He asks the young man why he would even watch the game after what happened to Koker. The answer? An earthquake of that magnitude strikes Koker every couple of decades. A big sporting event comes once a year. As the title of the film directly implies, life goes on. Even when disaster strikes people can't simply stop living. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of life itself.

And Life Goes On features gorgeous cinematography by the talented Homayun Payvar (Taste of Cherry, A Time for Love) and it matches the poetic style of filmmaking employed by Kiarostami. This is a truly beautiful film that struck me as being an outright masterpiece of cinema. Kiarostami directs with a firm style uniquely his own and the end result is art of the highest order.

Heartfelt, philosophical, and quietly reserved at the same time, And Life Goes On is a prime example of why cinema knows no borders. What a richly rewarding experience this film is. It offers a message that everyone can learn from: always persevere even when there are dark times. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The second feature film included in the Koker Trilogy, And Life Goes On arrives on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original 1.66:1 widescreen aspect ratio. From Criterion: "Where is the Friend's House? and And Life Goes On were created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35 mm original camera negatives at L'Image Retrouvee in Paris." This is an altogether superb presentation which was painstakingly restored from Criterion with manual removal of damage to the print. The film is breathtakingly beautiful and has a way of showcasing Koker in all of its beauty even surrounding events which led to so much devastation to the people of Koker. The transfer is pristine and robust throughout and pulls one in to the film with total ease.

And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

And Life Goes On is presented with an uncompressed PCM mono soundtrack. The 24 bit high-resolution lossless audio on this release is a joy. Unlike the mildly disappointing sound for the presentation of Where Is the Friends House? (which sounded somewhat flat and lacked the same degree of clarity for the soundstage), And Life Goes On sounds comparatively superb from start to end. As noted in the booklet: "Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX."

And Life Goes On has a significantly improved soundstage. Details come through with crisp definition and one can hear the natural environmental sounds well (such as the sound of birds and the work done on the construction after the earthquake). A great lossless track that perfectly suits the film.

And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary featuring filmmaker Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum (authors of the book Abbas Kiarostami)

Abbas Kiarostami: Truths and Dreams (SD, 52:29) is a compelling documentary produced in 1994 which chronicles the filmmaker a few years after the production of the film. The documentary was directed by Jean-Pierre Limosin and was originally broadcast on French television as part of the television series Cinema, de notre temps, which spotlighted many different filmmakers. This feature explores Kiarostami going back to Koker and reacquainting himself with some of the people whom he worked with on his trilogy.

Hamid Naficy (HD, 15:11) is an exquisite interview conducted with the informed scholar and historian. Naficy is one of the leaders of film journalism for Iranian cinema. He wrote A Social History of Iranian Cinema, which was first published in 2011. The interview opens with enlightening words by Akira Kurosawa as he reflects on the importance of Kiarostami to cinema (Kurosawa beautifully compared Kiarostami to the great Satyajit Ray).

And Life Goes On Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are few films I will see this year which will stay with me as much as And Life Goes On. This is one of the best films I have ever seen about loss and how people respond to it. With a humanitarian style, the filmmaking explores the way in which the people of Koker continue on after the devastation of a world-shattering earthquake which destroyed homes and led to the loss of loved ones. Everything builds to a pitch-perfect final shot that left me with chills.

Each film included in the Koker Trilogy stands as a distinct masterpiece of cinema yet it's And Life Goes On which is my favorite of the three. The heart and pathos of the film deeply moved me. The style is distinctive and unlike anything else out there. Kiarostami is a gift from cinema and films like this one are a gift to cinema's disciples. A true gem.