The film is famously "meta," focusing on a film crew returning to the village of to shoot a scene for Kiarostami’s previous film, And Life Goes On . The central plot follows Hossein , a local mason cast as an actor, who uses the production as an opportunity to pursue Tahereh , a young woman who has consistently rejected his marriage proposals.
Kiarostami was inspired by real events: while filming And Life Goes On , he noticed genuine tension between two non-professional actors, which became the dramatic kernel for this third installment. Themes of Resilience and Silence Cinema Iranica Through the olive trees- Abbas Kiarostami
Through the Olive Trees: Abbas Kiarostami’s Masterpiece of Meta-Cinema The film is famously "meta," focusing on a
