A Self that hides in Others: The cosmopolitan vision of Abbas Kiarostami

Given his immense influence on cinema in his homeland, much has been said about Abbas Kiarostami as a quintessentially Iranian director and artist. Yet his most recent films – Shirin (2008), Certified Copy (2010) and Like Someone in Love (2012) – offer interesting terrain for exploring how he deals with love and empathy beyond borders. This article examines these recent films to argue that Kiarostami’s growing cosmopolitan vision encompasses one way of going beyond the notion of the gaze as a mode of objectification and domination. Relying heavily on the power of the image, his is an aesthetic that invites care and empowerment, transcending violence and objectification by teaching the audience to look in new ways.