Through the Olive Trees (1994), titled Zīr-e Derakhtān-e Zeytūn in Persian, is the final installment of Abbas Kiarostami’s celebrated Koker Trilogy . Set in the earthquake-stricken region of Northern Iran, the film is a masterful example of "meta-cinema," blending documentary realism with fictional narrative . Plot Overview
The story follows a film crew that has arrived in the village of Koker to shoot a scene for Kiarostami's previous film, And Life Goes On . The central conflict arises when the local actor cast as the groom, Hossein, discovers that the woman cast as his bride is Tahereh, a girl he has unsuccessfully proposed to in real life .
The Rejection: Tahereh’s family previously rejected Hossein because he was a poor, illiterate laborer without a house . Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami
The On-Set Tension: Throughout the production, Hossein uses the proximity granted by the film roles to persistently plead his case to Tahereh, who refuses to speak to him outside of their scripted lines . Themes and Style
Through the Olive Trees (Persian: زیر درختان زیتون, Zir-e Derakhtān-e Zeytūn) is the final film in Abbas Kiarostami’s informal “Koker Trilogy,” following Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987) and And Life Goes On… (1992). Released in 1994, the film is a masterful exercise in cinematic self-reflexivity, blurring the boundaries between documentary and fiction, director and subject, actor and character. It won the prestigious Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director) at the Cannes Film Festival, cementing Kiarostami’s reputation as a leading figure of the Iranian New Wave. Through the Olive Trees (1994), titled Zīr-e Derakhtān-e
The plot of Through the Olive Trees is deceptively simple. In the aftermath of the devastating 1990 Rudbar earthquake in northern Iran, a film crew is shooting a movie. That movie, we gradually realize, is And Life Goes On… — the second film in the trilogy. The “director” (played by Kiarostami’s frequent collaborator, Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, though the character remains unnamed) is casting local non-professionals.
The central drama unfolds between two of these amateur actors: Hossein (Hossein Rezai), a poor, illiterate mason, and Tahereh (Tahereh Ladanian), a well-off, literate young woman who lost her parents in the earthquake. In the film-within-the-film, they are playing a newlywed couple. In reality, Hossein has long been in love with Tahereh and wishes to marry her, but she refuses to even speak to him, citing their differences in class, education, and property. Title: Through the Olive Trees Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Kiarostami builds the film around this contradiction: Hossein and Tahereh must repeatedly rehearse a scene where, as fictional characters, they look lovingly at each other and speak as husband and wife. Between takes, Hossein pleads his real case, while Tahereh remains silent and avoids eye contact.