Rating: 
Summary: Nope, no camels here..
Review: this is a great movie. very powerful. something all people can relate to in some way. since it is not legal in iran for men and women to touch in movies, they have to be extremely creative and portray emotions such as love with so much depth that it doesnt need physical touching to portray it. american movie makers should take a tip or two from thse guys instead of putting out empty movies that too often trade human feeling for empty sex and violence. there is a lot of public misconception in america about the arab world. but there are no camels, no desert, no people with turbans, and no oppressed women in this movie. these characters live much better than many americans, and the city is totally modern. this movie is a great tool for stamping out ignorance about the middle eastern culture and way of life. it's also a terrific movie too. you wont be disappointed.(...)
Rating:
Summary: A MESMERIZING BIRD'S EYE VIEW INTO IRANIAN CULTURE...
Review: This is an outstanding and compelling film with moving, superlative performances by the cast. The film chronicles the marriage of a young, Iranian couple, Leila and Reza, in modern day Tehran. They are affluent, attractive and very much in love. All is well, until they realize that Leila is barren and unable to bear children. While Leila and Reza appear to have come to terms with this, Reza's mother has not. She begins an almost daily harangue on the issue of her only son taking a second wife, a move which is perfectly legal in Iran. The mother-in-law does not let up, appealing to Leila's sense of tradition and family obligation. Though Reza insists that he does not care if he has children, he does not stop his mother's constant harangue of Leila. Slowly but surely, Leila's resistance to the idea of a second wife begins to erode, and her mother-in-law ultimately convinces her that Reza must have a child of his blood, and as Leila cannot meet this obligation, a second wife is a must. The film takes the viewer through the process of the selection of the second wife and Leila's role in that process. One sees the personal devastation that this causes her. One senses Reza's ambivalence about the matter and his reluctance in taking a second wife. Yet, such is the power of love and deft manipulation that both Leila and Reza continue with actions that further this cause, until the moment of truth arrives. The reality is one which is nigh unbearable. This is an absolutely mesmerizing film. Leila Hatami, as Leila, gives a beautifully moving, well nuanced, award calibre performance. One feels the depth of her distress over this situation, and the viewer's heart breaks for her, as her own heart is breaking. Ali Mossafa is terrific as the ineffectual Reza, who is unable to stand up to his mother. The love between Leila and Reza is palpable, and it shines throughout the film, even though the two do not physically touch during the film, as it is forbidden for them to do so publicly. Leila is shrouded in traditional style, as are all the women in the film. Yet, interestingly enough, the women are very independent, assertive, and opinionated. It is an iteresting melange of the modern with the traditional. The film is an eloquent portrayal of the clash between the modern marriage and tradition in a country that is in a state of flux. It is an incisive look at a culture in which a second wife is an option for consideration and at the potential impact of the exercise of such an option. All in all, this is a fantastic film that opens the window onto another culture, so different to ours in so many ways, yet so alike in others. This is a beautifully wrought film that should be seen by as many viewers as is possible. It is an absolute masterpiece. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: not a happy movie
Review: This is one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time - in English or otherwise. With all the hysteria about Iran, it is easy to forget that there is suburbia in Iran just like in California. In fact, at times I forgot that I was watching in a movie shot in Iran. If you are interested in seeing an Iranian movie that is not a fairly tale, see this movie. Real metropolitian people, living real lives - of course with a modern Persian twist.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
Review: This movie again shatters the Hollywood myth that BIG budgets equal quality films. This film carrys a universal message that transcends culture,nationalilty,sex. So many women in the world live under equally humiliating circumstances. The film really shows how Leila rose above the petty people in her life who are trying to manipulate her and in the end outsmarts them all. I first saw this film in Los Angeles in 1999. My motel was in the heart of the Iranian Exile community in West Los Angeles and everyone there seemed to be talking about this film. I went to see it and was hooked. Since then I have seen other Iranian films , most of them from the Shah's time. It is tragic Ayatollah Khomeini was allowed to destroy Iran's once thriving Arts & Entertainment industry. It still exists to some degree in Los Angeles. The fact this film was allowed to be made by the clerical authorities is amazing given it's content. Leila Hatami is a lovely and talented actress who plays her role to perfection. Her real life husband plays her husband in the film is equally compelling as the well meaning yet at times insensitive husband. The actress who steals the film is the actress who plays the mother-in-law. You must own this film!
Rating: 
Summary: Solid film : horrible dvd
Review: Those drawn to Iranian film by the works of Kiarostami, Mahkmalbaf, or Majid Majidi, will definitely find this to be quite different in tone. More of a standard 'Western' style film, Leila is an upper class (at least compared to the focus on the poor by the previously mentioned directors) and is paced and framed in a way that makes it less of a culture shock for viewers who are used to American films. The film itself is a powerful representation of cultural repression of women. I won't go much into the details of the story. It's fairly straightforward. A woman who is unable to conceive is convinced by her husband's mother, due to the heavy cultural value of having a male heir, to allow her husband to take a second wife. The film is essentially a display of Leila's struggle to deal with this situation. It is a strong film. I would argue that it is a bit too long, clocking in at just over two hours. And I personally am fond of the more artsy and esoteric films of Kiarostami, so I wasn't particulaly pleased with the heavy handed melodrama of this film. But all that aside, it is a good film in its own right. Just not to my taste. As for the DVD. This is a terrible package. Absolutely terrible. The print is horrible: washed out and spotty. The subtitles are embedded, which isn't a huge problem since most people won't want to shut them off anyway, but they were clearly transferred straight off of the same terrible film print. They are frequently misspelled and they crack and wash out on certain letters. Not to mention the suggested retail price, which is insanely high. Criterion price for Madacy Entertainment quality; which is unforgivable price gouging by First Run Features, taking advantage of the wallets of the fans of rare foreign films. It's a film worth watching, but the quality of this DVD release is only worthy of a rental.
Rating:
Summary: Solid film : horrible dvd
Review: Those drawn to Iranian film by the works of Kiarostami, Mahkmalbaf, or Majid Majidi, will definitely find this to be quite different in tone. More of a standard 'Western' style film, Leila is an upper class (at least compared to the focus on the poor by the previously mentioned directors) and is paced and framed in a way that makes it less of a culture shock for viewers who are used to American films. The film itself is a powerful representation of cultural repression of women. I won't go much into the details of the story. It's fairly straightforward. A woman who is unable to conceive is convinced by her husband's mother, due to the heavy cultural value of having a male heir, to allow her husband to take a second wife. The film is essentially a display of Leila's struggle to deal with this situation. It is a strong film. I would argue that it is a bit too long, clocking in at just over two hours. And I personally am fond of the more artsy and esoteric films of Kiarostami, so I wasn't particulaly pleased with the heavy handed melodrama of this film. But all that aside, it is a good film in its own right. Just not to my taste. As for the DVD. This is a terrible package. Absolutely terrible. The print is horrible: washed out and spotty. The subtitles are embedded, which isn't a huge problem since most people won't want to shut them off anyway, but they were clearly transferred straight off of the same terrible film print. They are frequently misspelled and they crack and wash out on certain letters. Not to mention the suggested retail price, which is insanely high. Criterion price for Madacy Entertainment quality; which is unforgivable price gouging by First Run Features, taking advantage of the wallets of the fans of rare foreign films. It's a film worth watching, but the quality of this DVD release is only worthy of a rental.
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