Quick recap: A man drives around town, looking for someone to make sure he carries out his job of committing suicide.

I can’t understate the amount of driving in this film.

Fun (?) fact: The director shot each character separately in the car. First he would film the passenger and then the driver.

still more driving

My thoughts: Honestly, I’m having the worst time trying what to say about this film. Would I recommend to others? No. Does it at least redeem itself somehow with music, good acting or a beautiful scenery? Also no. But still, this movie resonated with me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I’ve found myself drifting back to various scenes throughout my day and wondering if I’m just reading too much into something. I probably am. Scratch that. I definitely am. But that’s how film works  sometimes. So for that reason, I’ll attempt to give an honest run down of my thoughts and hold off on the sarcasm you have come to know and love. Shit’s about to get real, yo.

Let’s just get this out of the way first: I get that Taste of Cherry is boring. And not just boring, mind numbingly boring. A man drives around and picks up various passengers and then begs them to help bury him once he commits suicide. It goes about the way you would expect it to. One man runs out of the truck in fear, another admonishes the man for entertaining the thought of such a sin and the third man tries to talk him out of it. And at the end, the man lays down into the hole he dug for himself and watches a storm gather over head. It is never resolved whether or not he goes through with it. It wasn’t until I had finished the movie and started reading trivia that it dawned on me why I felt so uncomfortable throughout the whole thing: It’s because this is my life most days. With depression, my number one feeling most of the time is one of isolation. It doesn’t matter how many people I talk to or text with, I still feel alone. As mentioned before, the director chose to film conversations separately and the result is a disjointed dialogue I am all too familiar with. The main character desperately needs help but it’s as if he isn’t being understood, as if he is operating on a different level. I try not to dwell too much on unhappiness but seeing these scenes played out like they were, made me come to terms with feelings I’ve never been able to put into words until now.

The last scene is the most jarring for me. As the man lays down in his hole, the screen fades to black. The next scene is somewhat blurry and out of focus, as if someone was filming on a hand held camera. The main character is standing in a field, smoking a cigarette. He walks over to some men carrying cameras and they joke about something. Everyone is smiling. In the distance, on a beautiful green hill sit a group of soldiers. They are waiting for their part and take the time to talk to each other and laugh. I found out later the director wanted a different ending but the shots were destroyed and so he just threw in a ‘behind the scenes’ shot. But for me, this was the perfect ending. I grapple everyday with perspective and spend most of my time trying to convince myself that what I think probably isn’t true. The whole movie is set in what looks to be a desert but in reality, it was a lush green field. The main character was lonely and on the brink of suicide and left to beg for companionship when the reality was that the actor was very much loved. Like the title, A Taste of Cherry, there is always the hope that there is something out there to live for, something to cling to. And maybe reality isn’t as dark as one makes it out to be.

Final review: 4/5

Up next: The Wrestler