Taste of Cherry
Middle-aged Mr.Badii is planning to commit suicide and desperately seeks anyone to assist him - he has already dug out the grave in the mountains, but the assistant will have to bury him when he will do the deed. He asks Kurd soldier, Afghan seminarian, but everyone refuses by some reason. Finally he finds an old Turkish taxidermist, who has a sick son and previously attempted suicide himself, and he agrees to assist Badii.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Taste of Cherry (1997) exemplifies carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Abbas Kiarostami's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mr. Badii drives alone through Tehran's dusty outskirts in his Range Rover, silently observing workers and passing through industrial wasteland. The opening establishes profound isolation and a man searching for something.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Badii picks up a young Kurdish soldier who becomes the first passenger to hear his actual plan: he needs someone to bury him after he takes sleeping pills and lies in a hole he's already dug. The soldier flees in horror.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Badii actively chooses to continue his search despite the soldier's rejection. He drives to a seminary, committing fully to finding someone who will complete his plan. There is no turning back from his mission., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Badii picks up Mr. Bagheri, an older Turkish taxidermist who, unlike the others, listens calmly and agrees to consider the job. For the first time, Badii has found someone who doesn't immediately reject him. The stakes shift., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Bagheri agrees to do the job for the money (his sick son needs it), but extracts a promise: Badii must look at the moon tomorrow night. Despite this human connection, Badii has his plan in place. Death seems inevitable., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. The screen goes black. We cannot know if Badii lives or dies—Kiarostami refuses to answer. The film itself breaks open, shifting from the narrative to behind-the-scenes footage of the crew filming in the hills., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Taste of Cherry's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Taste of Cherry against these established plot points, we can identify how Abbas Kiarostami utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Taste of Cherry within the drama genre.
Abbas Kiarostami's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Abbas Kiarostami films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Taste of Cherry takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Abbas Kiarostami filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Abbas Kiarostami analyses, see Where Is the Friend's House?, Certified Copy.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mr. Badii drives alone through Tehran's dusty outskirts in his Range Rover, silently observing workers and passing through industrial wasteland. The opening establishes profound isolation and a man searching for something.
Theme
Badii begins approaching strangers, awkwardly trying to recruit them for an unnamed "job." The unstated question emerges: What makes life worth living when you've lost the will to continue?
Worldbuilding
Badii cruises through Tehran's periphery, attempting to engage construction workers and soldiers. His awkward propositions and their confused rejections establish the pattern. We see a man disconnected from the living world around him.
Disruption
Badii picks up a young Kurdish soldier who becomes the first passenger to hear his actual plan: he needs someone to bury him after he takes sleeping pills and lies in a hole he's already dug. The soldier flees in horror.
Resistance
The young soldier resists and debates, expressing shock and religious objections. He represents life's instinctive rejection of death. Badii remains calm, methodical, unmoved by the soldier's emotional pleas. The soldier escapes at a military barracks.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Badii actively chooses to continue his search despite the soldier's rejection. He drives to a seminary, committing fully to finding someone who will complete his plan. There is no turning back from his mission.
Mirror World
Badii encounters an Afghan seminarian, a man of faith who should represent hope and meaning. This religious student becomes the second passenger, offering a different philosophical perspective on life and death.
Premise
The seminarian engages Badii in theological debate about suicide being forbidden. Their conversation explores duty, faith, and despair. Like the soldier, he ultimately refuses and flees. Badii continues driving, searching, the Tehran landscape rolling past.
Midpoint
Badii picks up Mr. Bagheri, an older Turkish taxidermist who, unlike the others, listens calmly and agrees to consider the job. For the first time, Badii has found someone who doesn't immediately reject him. The stakes shift.
Opposition
Bagheri tells his own story: he once attempted suicide but was stopped by the taste of mulberries. He speaks of life's small pleasures—cherry blossoms, sunrise, children's laughter. He opposes Badii's plan not with horror but with gentle insistence on life's beauty.
Collapse
Bagheri agrees to do the job for the money (his sick son needs it), but extracts a promise: Badii must look at the moon tomorrow night. Despite this human connection, Badii has his plan in place. Death seems inevitable.
Crisis
Badii drives to the hillside at dusk. He lies in the grave he's dug, looking up at the sky. Complete silence. Darkness falls. He is alone with his decision, waiting for the pills to take effect.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The screen goes black. We cannot know if Badii lives or dies—Kiarostami refuses to answer. The film itself breaks open, shifting from the narrative to behind-the-scenes footage of the crew filming in the hills.
Synthesis
Meta-cinematic coda: the actor playing Badii walks among soldiers (the crew) in green hills. Kiarostami films them with a video camera. Life, artifice, and reality blur. The question is left open.
Transformation
The final image shows the film crew in verdant nature, alive and working. The screen fades. Whether Badii died becomes irrelevant—the film itself chooses life, art, and the act of creation over definitive answers about death.