Product Description

Reza and Leila, an attractive and affluent young couple deeply in love and recently married, discover that Leila is unable to conceive. Although Reza steadfastly insists that it matters not in the least, his mother feels otherwise: she is determined that her son have children and continue the family line. Invoking tradition, she convinces her daughter-in-law that Reza must, out of necessity, take a second wife to produce an heir. The heartbreak that follows is so eloquently recorded that the final outcome is "in a word, devastating." (The New York Times)

This provocative, eloquent and ultimately devastating story, from "Iran's longest-running cinematic master" (Village Voice), is a stunning portrayal of the clash between tradition and modern marriage; between manipulation and the power of love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53660 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-06-13
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 129 minutes

Amazon.com
American audiences used to the fable-like Iranian films of Abbas Kairostami (A Taste of Cherry) and Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon) may be startled by Dariush Mehrjui's devastating modern melodrama, Leila. Set firmly in the urban world of contemporary Tehran, this story of a couple pressured by family and tradition into destroying their happy union is a window into a world uneasily straddling the past and present. Happily married but childless, Leila and Reza are pressured by Reza's mother to keep the family name alive. When Reza refuses to take a second wife (polygamy is still legal in Iran) the mother-in-law goes to work on Leila, beating down her resistance with a mix of pleading, haranguing, and outright lies, until the couple limply gives in.

Mehrjui's subdued, subtle approach rolls with the gentle rhythms of a slow-paced society like many of his contemporaries, but underneath the surface calm is a churning sea of emotions: betrayal, abandonment, guilt, and grief. While the story can stand as a metaphor for the power of tradition in a modern world, Mehrjui's heart is with Leila's desperation and sorrow while she flails for support, even while helping choose her husband's bride. Dariush Mehrjui has been described as the godfather of Iranian cinema, and has repeatedly clashed with Iranian censors while pushing the envelope of social issues. This understated but vivid tragedy is witness to his place in cinematic history. --Sean Axmaker

Review
Beautifully shot and expertly acted! Mehrjui is at once an astute, thoughtful social critic and an ingeniously distinctive stylist. --New York Press

Review
Superb acting, imaginative filmmaking! --Christian Science Monitor

Customer Reviews

A MESMERIZING BIRD'S EYE VIEW INTO IRANIAN CULTURE...
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!

poorest quality DVD spoils this nice Iranian movie
i share the positive reviews written about this film;
however "first run features" studio managed in spoiling the beauty of the film totally...by releasing a DVD of poorest quality...you can't even see the facial features to recognize the actors...every frame is dark, cloudy and featureless.
I'm irritated by the greedy studios that want to make fast money with minimal effort possible from their side...
their pure incompetence succeeds in negating all the creative efforts in this movie...avoid this DVD.
in comparison, "the color of paradise" is a beautiful film released beautifully in DVD by columbia/tristar. 5 star

Another Great Iranian film
One wonders why so many great films are being made by Iranian Directors. With all focus on Iran as a confining religious state, one forgets that it s a country rich in cultural history. This is the story of a woman who can not bear children and the relentless schemes of the mother-in-law to break up the marriage. Leila slowly succumbs to the constant pressure and allows or rather prods her husband to seek out a second wife. The director does not allow the audience to easily pick heros and villians. With the exception of the mother-in-law (who one never likes) each character if filled with strength and weekness. One is intrigued and can't wait to see how the husband and wife will confront each scene. Part of the greatness of this film is that it portrays the universality of human feelings. While we get a peek into everyday life in Iran, we get to know that individuals are the same everywhere.