Abbas Kiarostami, Family Film and the Techno-cultural Processes of Transcultural Viewing

In this paper Abbas Kiarostami's films for children are discussed from the perspective of a cognitive studies approach. The crux of the argument is that the visual elements of film are essentially metonymic. Where is My Friend’s Home? has a quest-script instantiated by means of four components drawn on Brown and Babbington. Transcultural viewing is enabled by techno-cultural elements of cinema. Four filmic strategies which when brought together in film enable transcultural accessibility are used to discuss where is My Friend’s Home? One is the use of common techniques such as zoom, close-up, long takes, and dissolves. The second is the employment of conceptual metaphors (or image schemas). The third is emotional mirroring and the last is metonymy and metonymic juxtaposition. Ahmad’s quest is a quest for well-being, to help his friend maintain a place in sociality in which he might flourish, and this is an action recognizable transculturally.