Marmoulak

It's rare to see a film that as much as it amuses, it also takes an angle on serious matters. These last fifteen years have seen a series of films flourishing out of the path of some very talented Persian directors, expressing their views on life, on people, on the political issues and so on, through an anthology of subjects that come to show with finesse things that couldn't be said otherwise. "Marmoolak" is one of those. Only here, the destiny of men and women of an entire country subject to the whims of its rulers symbolized here by one man (the fake cleric played with gusto and talent by Parviz Parastui) is shown not by the means of drama, but throughout comedy. And comedy is something that Persians seem to know about. To say that this film is funny is a euphemism. There is situation comedy here, and it is treated with much lightness. But if one goes farther and looks through it, one can easily capture the fate of an entire people. Works like this, in the form of a film or a book, etc, usually help change things. Let's hope this one does. Talent as they say, has no boundary.

Humorous, touching and profound Iranian film, I Really enjoyed it a lot : good story, good acting, excellent music...Worth the Time.

I, as an Iranian, think this is by far one of the greatest films I have ever seen in my life, and although you may think that I'm bias, I was actually born and raised in the United States. The move was a comedy, yes, it was funny, but that is a very minor element in this film where I think profound Iranian culture, spirituality, and decency was brilliantly portrayed. I have seen this move over 5 times, and each time I watch it, I am refreshed by the moving inspiration and profound subtleties of the film.

This movie beautifully depicts the traditional outlook of mullahs (as well as the common traditional believers in Iran), and the universal spirituality of being a true believer. If this movie is merely interpreted as a jest to put down mullahs, or as a pure comical film of the trenches of disguise and deceit, then I feel sorry for that viewer's simplistic view. Well-done to the director for making this masterful film, and I'm sorry for the non-Iranians who will probably only get 30 % of the essence and meaning of this film.

Lastly, this film IS prevalent and easily ACCESSIBLE in Iran, and it is on DVD.

I had the chance of watching this excellent movie yesterday at the Montreal World Film Festival. This is the second Iranian film that I've seen (the first was 'Taste of Cherry') and I'm enchanted.

This is the story of a thief who has an extraordinary agility at climbing walls just like a lizard (Marmoulak), his escape from prison, and his redemption. To hide his identity, he becomes a mullah (Muslim religious scholar) and improvises as best as he can. The dialogs on theology and Muslim daily life are funny, yet very powerful. This excellent movie is not only a slap to the ruling clergy in Iran, but also a slap to religious fundamentalism of any faith.

The acting is very good. The 'Mullah' role is performed beautifully and the Lizard gives the Mullah the right dose of authority and charisma while remaining a very down-to-earth person. I enjoyed every minute. This is a movie that I'll be delighted to watch again.

Highly recommended. 9/10

Living in Iraq with almost the same enormous and irrational religious influence on community i appreciated the movie to be the real expression of educated and enlightened people living in the shadows of injustice and multiple boundaries that is limiting the talents.The movie is giving us very important message about what God and religion is all about.