Certified Copy · reception & legacy
2010 · Abbas Kiarostami
How Certified Copy has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
It split Cannes in 2010 — some critics called the premise a gimmick, others a late-career masterpiece — but it has since climbed steadily into the canon, now routinely cited among the best films of the 21st century.
What's debated
The perennial fan debate: are the two leads strangers pretending to be a couple, or a couple pretending to be strangers — and does the film even want you to resolve it?
Its footprint
It's become the go-to reference point whenever a film blurs role-play and reality in a relationship, and a fixture of 'films that reward a second viewing' lists — usually anchored by Juliette Binoche's Cannes-winning performance.
Where it stands
A canon climber and Letterboxd favourite — the consensus pick for Kiarostami's late-period peak and his most accessible entry point.