This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event—the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf—as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves.

'Close-Up' is a groundbreaking masterpiece that brilliantly blends documentary and fiction in unprecedented ways. They praise Kiarostami's directorial genius, the film's exceptional originality, and remarkable realism achieved through real participants portraying themselves. The thought-provoking exploration of identity, class, and cinema's social importance captivates most viewers. While overwhelmingly celebrated for its innovative camera work and artistic vision, some found the film less engaging than expected, with one dismissing it as self-indulgent obscurantism.