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Taste of Cherry
A meditative journey through the dusty outskirts of Tehran, where a man seeking death encounters the vibrant, simple textures of life. Minimalist and profound, it juxtaposes the silence of the grave with the sweetness of a mulberry.
Taste of Cherry
Taste of Cherry

طعم گيلاس

28 September 1997 Iran 99 min 7.7 (680)

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Cast: Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Safar Ali Moradi, Mir Hossein Noori, Elham Imani

Drama Suicide and Choice Isolation vs. Connection The Sensory Experience of Nature The Fluidity of Identity
Budget: $120,000
Box Office: $10,923

Taste of Cherry — Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

You want to give up the taste of cherries?
— Mr. Bagheri

Context

Spoken during the drive as Bagheri tries to convince Badii that life's beauty is found in small things.

Meaning

The central philosophical query of the film. It challenges Badii to consider if the permanent cessation of consciousness is worth losing the simple, exquisite sensations of being alive.

I left to kill myself, and I came back with mulberries.
— Mr. Bagheri

Context

Bagheri recounting his own suicide attempt in 1960.

Meaning

Summarizes the absurdity and miracle of life. The intent for death was interrupted by the sudden, undeniable pleasure of eating fruit, shifting the character's entire worldview.

It is not 'help'. It is work. I pay well.
— Mr. Badii

Context

Badii speaking to the soldier, trying to bribe him into agreeing to the task.

Meaning

Shows Badii's attempt to transactionalize human connection and death, trying to remove the emotional weight from the favor he is asking.

You can't feel what I feel.
— Mr. Badii

Context

Badii responding to Bagheri's attempts to understand his pain.

Meaning

Highlights the fundamental isolation of pain. Badii rejects empathy because he believes his internal suffering is incommunicable.

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