Abbas Kiarostami is an Iranian filmmaker of some reknown so it is somewhat regrettable that the first film of his that I watch is also his first film to be made entirely outside of Iran. Certified Copy is set and shot in Tuscany, Italy and its dialogue is a mix of English, French and Italian. The entire film is essentially one long conversation between its two leads over the course of an afternoon.

Juliette Binoche plays a French antique dealer who resides in Tuscany while William Shimell plays a British writer named James Miller who has just released a new book. The book bears the same title as the film itself and argues that authenticity is overrated in the realm of art as every copy possesses its own artistic merit. After attending a talk by Miller about his book, the woman who appears to the audience to be a fan, invites him for a discussion as they share a pleasant drive in the countryside. Their conversation topics span the gamut of the importance of originality in all areas of life as well as the woman’s family. Eventually they stop for coffee and their waitress speaks of them as if they were a married couple. This marks a turning point in the film as from this point on the nature of their relationship seems to change and we are forced to reexamine our assumptions.

The themes here are obvious, perhaps overly so as we’re lead by the nose to wonder which of the two versions of this relationship is the “original” and which is the copy. I don’t think the ambiguity adds much to the film and it would have been better served as a more straightforward drama. I wasn’t too impressed either with the philosophical depth of their discussion. It hits all the expected highlights but doesn’t feel especially interesting or insightful to me. The film’s best moments were after it switched modes and became a somewhat painful portrayal of a marriage that is long past the initial throes of passion. The man’s cynical disinterest and the woman’s desperation to rekindle that passion feels both tragic and authentic.

Binoche’s performance is praiseworthy as usual but it does sometimes feel like she’s trying to hard, especially opposite Schimell’s more muted reactions. Combined with a setup that feels gimmicky, I’ll have to conclude that while Certified Copy has its good moments and some nice shots of Tuscany, it’s overall only an average film and probably not one of Kiarostami’s best.