marmoolak - a movie review

< sourse: bbc, persian news – may 9, 2004)

bargeboo: in the recent weeks a particular movie has been making waves in iran. titled “marmoolak”  (lizard), directed by kamal tabrizi has been enjoying an unprecedented popularity. so much so that extra screenings has been scheduled pass midnight and the tickets have been selling for much higher prices in black market.

marmoolak is the story of a thief and a fugitive (known as reza marmoolak) who by disguising himself as a clergy (mullah) is able to escape prison. the pretense is complete when he seemingly touched by his own get up begins to preach the way of god and he himself is eventually converted to the “righteousness”.

apparently reactions to the movie have been quite varied, from hard criticism to passionate praise. what’s clear is that it has struck a nerve with people and government officials alike. many clergy in iran have been openly at odds with the showing of this movie and the arguments continue. in the meantime the audience flocks to the theaters and bootleg copies have already been circulating for weeks.

among all the various view points and critical writings on the matter i found this one particularly interesting:

- the storyline of this movie brings to mind the old play “shahre ghese” (city of stories) where inhabitants of the city are all animals each with a profession somewhat related to their persona. the clergy in that story is a fox who although teaches the school children good from evil and talks of holy things, he still has a major crush on lady cockroach* reviled when she walks into his classroom. add to the mix the ever-so-famous scene where the “spirits” crawl under the fox’s regalia and he gets the heebee jeebies … and you have got yourself a classic pre-revolution portrayal of the mullah. now fast forward to 38 years later, today, where a similar story has been told again. this time however the audience is not the same. back then people did not have the same insights that they have today. the choice of the fox for the holy persona was taken as it was, a private choice by the writer. today however our people have quarter century of direct dealings with mullahs as law makers and it is only natural that they would see much more in every details of this movie that first meets the eye. (hossein, tehran)

and another comment that seems to repeat by many:

- the fact that this movie has been able to obtain permission for its release only shows that it is to work as a pressure valve, releasing the steam whenever it reaches dangerous levels. this is exactly what happened when khatami was elected 7 years ago and now that frustration is again reaching high levels they are allowing these kinds of movies to fool us into thinking we are not as suppressed as we think. (shohre, isfahan)

the mullahs themselves are also debating hotly on the issue. many defend its showing, even some who head the all important friday prayers across and in effect represent the supreme leader himself. the movie was first banned all together and then when it was released for wide audience it remained banned in mashhad (the second holiest city of and its screening in rasht was accompanied by demonstrations of islamic fundamentalist groups. ayatollah mahdavi kani** commented that: “not even during the time of shah anyone dared to make a movie like this”.  they admit that many people are unhappy with the social and economic situation in iran and they see clergy as a privileged class who has pillaged the riches of the country. it is understandable that people will only pay attention to scenes in which the clergy is made fun of. they in effect ignore the message the movie tries to put forward by its ending. indentally kani in his comments added that some of his colleagues have noticed an increase in the number of verbal assaults directed at them since the movie has been put to show!

iranian movies have become very popular among those who seek fine foreign-made movies. those that do make it outside for show are almost always either about children or are dramas dealing with rural areas. comedy, suspense and light love stories have been absent in international scenes mostly in my opinion because they draw heavily on cultural references. children and life issues in villages tend to reach wider audience because of their classic subject matters. perhaps this would mark a departure where an iranian comedy might become well known as well.

i am yet to see it myself. till then i leave my own judgment for another day. if anyone seen it please feel free to share your insight.

* a folkloric figure of many stories who symbolizes a petite brunette with great looks and major feminine charm.
** kani is considered one of the fundamentalist clergy who is considered one of the most powerful behind the curtain of the supreme leader.