To deal with the impossibility of love in this modern age is no mean feat, yet such is the subject matter of Like Someone in Love. Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is revealed as our muse, a student by day and escort by night. Under the influence of the men around her she gives herself to a game of changing roles, barely revealing what lies within.

The confusion does not detract from the artistry of the film. Kiarostami delicately layers image upon image, from reflections and mirrors to first person camera angles. Static shots illustrate the patience of the story telling as it unfolds, while we are hit by a stream of answerphone messages across the city betraying their recipient’s true heart.

The pace takes getting used to. This is no blockbuster and at times boredom sets in, with a plot too slowly teased out. We are given a slice of Japan that reflects the universal waning of closeness – as mourned by Kiarostami – and yet by the end his story breaks midway, leaving more questions than answers. A beautiful, if slow film, with each moment standing up to scrutiny. There are just perhaps too many of them.