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Close-Up (1990), directed by Abbas Kiarostami
also titled: Nema-ye Nazdik

Filmed in Iran, Close-Up tells the story of a how one man, Hossain Sabzian, was able to dupe a family into thinking he was the Iranian filmmaker, Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The story is told primarily through flashbacks. The events are recounted as Sabzian and the family give trial testimonies to decide Hossain Sabzian's fate. The question the film addresses is, what would drive a man to want to deceive a family like this, and why would they believe him? What is remarkable about Close-Up is that in order to tell this story, director Abbas Kiarostami decided to cast all the characters as themselves. Yes, this trial did take place. The people you are watching? They are the same individuals who were involved in the events told on film. By casting the real folks as his actors, Kirostami blurs the line between documentary and bio-pic. There are moments in this film where you have no idea whether what you are seeing was filmed because the director set it up that way, or because he happened to have a camera handy and be in the right place at the right time. It's a brilliantly reflective film that will likely shift your understanding of what constitutes documentary filmmaking, and may even give you a bit of insight into the country of Iran.