GYNOCINE PROJECT
Accents in Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)
In Kiarostami's film Certified Copy (Copie conforme), the use of accent plays an important role in exploring the themes of identity, authenticity, and perception. The film is set in Tuscany, Italy, and revolves around the interactions between a British author named James Miller, played by William Shimell, and a French antique dealer named Elle, played by Juliette Binoche. Throughout the film, the characters speak in multiple languages, including English, French, and Italian, with varying degrees of fluency and accents.
The use of accents in the film serves to blur the boundaries between reality and perception, and to question the authenticity of the characters' identities. For example, in one scene, Elle speaks to a group of Italian women in broken Italian, which prompts them to switch to French, revealing that Elle is actually fluent in French. This suggests that Elle's identity may be more complex and ambiguous than she initially appears. Similarly, James' British accent is called into question when he is mistaken for a Frenchman by a group of Italian men. This highlights the subjective
nature of identity and perception, and suggests that our perceptions of others are often shaped by our own biases and preconceptions.
Accents in "Certified Copy" serve as a metaphor for the complexity and fluidity of identity, and invites the viewer to question their own perceptions and assumptions about others.