Certified Copy in Corrie

On Sunday, July 14th, (Bastille Day) Corrie Film Club rather suitably shows a French-English film made in 2010 by the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, starring Juliette Binoche. It’s set in Tuscany, to add to its many visual joys.

A visiting British author called James Miller, played by William Shimell, is promoting his latest book, called Certified Copy, which puts forward the idea that a copy of a work of art is just as valid as the original thing. Binoche, as a French antiques dealer, has been invited to his talk and is both irritated and fascinated by this handsome celebrity. Her teenage son is not fascinated at all, and is prickly and difficult. In a local café, their bickering leads the proprietor to take them for a married couple.

The writer and the antique dealer are amused by the idea and start to act out a scenario in which the imagined pair explore their tensions and resentments. They thus enter into an unreal reality of their own invention, thus providing a living example of what James is writing about. Can a copy of reality be as valid as the real thing? This strange film, which switches languages between French and English, is an oddity, but a very intriguing and intelligent one.

The showing begins at 8.00pm in Corrie Hall, and all are welcome, free of charge, though contributions to help meet the hall’s expenses are always welcome.