Through the Olive Trees
A village film production becomes a quietly funny, deeply humane meditation on love, performance, and rebuilding life after disaster.
Overview
A poignant exploration of love and ambition set against the backdrop of filmmaking.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- gentle
- witty
- wistful
- quiet afternoon
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an acclaimed, humane, and formally inventive work of Iranian cinema, especially praising its ambiguity and meta-cinematic design.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The director, local actors, and reconstruction of an earlier film's events are central to the narrative.
Hossein and Tahereh play a married couple while Hossein privately tries to persuade Tahereh to marry him.
The film follows local actors and a production team through the Iranian countryside with understated, naturalistic attention.
Hossein's marriage proposal unfolds after the earthquake and amid the community's disrupted circumstances.
Films like Through the Olive Trees, and why
Close-Up
meta-cinematic drama, rural setting, understated romance, and contemplative realism
Where Is the Friend's Home?
iranian new wave humanism, documentary-like performances, and quiet moral observation
Day for Night
film-within-a-film structure, reflective pacing, and intimate attention to ordinary lives
The Wind Will Carry Us
ambiguous romantic drama, minimalism, and emotionally restrained visual storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Abbas Kiarostami
- Release Date
- 1994-12-02
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (218)
Cast
- Mohammadali Keshavarz
- Farhad Kheradmand
- Zarifeh Shiva
- Hossein Rezai
- Tahereh Ladanian
- Mahbanou Darabi
- Ahmed Ahmadpour
- Babek Ahmadpour
- Astadouli Babani
- Nasret Betri
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Through the Olive Trees about?
- A village film production becomes a quietly funny, deeply humane meditation on love, performance, and rebuilding life after disaster.
- What is Through the Olive Trees like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Through the Olive Trees as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Through the Olive Trees violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Through the Olive Trees.
- What did critics think of Through the Olive Trees?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an acclaimed, humane, and formally inventive work of Iranian cinema, especially praising its ambiguity and meta-cinematic design.
- Which films are like Through the Olive Trees?
- Films with a similar feel include Close-Up, Where Is the Friend's Home?, Day for Night, and The Wind Will Carry Us.
- How long is Through the Olive Trees?
- Through the Olive Trees runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Through the Olive Trees?
- In United States, Through the Olive Trees streams on Criterion Channel.
