Certified Copy

Certified Copy is a delight. With a great performance by Juliette Binoche, a memorable film debut by William Shimmell one of Britain's finest opera baritones, great on-location cinematography in Tuscany and astute direction by legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami Certified Copy is bound to be one of the most enjoyable movie going pleasures of 2011.

Binoche plays an antique dealer. Shimmell is an author who has just written a book claiming that the art world puts too much significance on authenticity. Who's to say that a good reproduction is any less significant than the original since the people doing the observing won't be able to tell the difference and even the original was a reproduction to begin with.  They meet when Shimmell agrees to autograph some copies of his book for her. Afterwards the 2 go for a ride in the country stopping at a cafe where the film suddenly takes an unexpected turn. Is Kiarostami saying that as a filmmaker he has the power to change the narrative as he chooses especially given his history of blurring the line between the real and the unreal?  Perhaps he's peeling back one layer of reality to reveal another which co-exists alongside it and which could be just as authentic if the 2 characters wish it to be.