_Leila_ *** 1/2 (out of ****)
This subtle and thought-provoking drama from Iran tells the modern-day story of the title character (Leila Hatami), a young newlywed who forces her very loving husband Reza (Ali Mosaffa) to take another wife after she learns she cannot bear children. The decision, however, is not so much hers as it is that of her manipulative and selfish mother-in-law (Jamileh Sheikhi), who plants seeds of doubt in Leila regarding Reza's love and loyalty; and that of society in general.
Dariush Mehrjui's film may end on a (forced) bittersweet note, but it is overall a film of great sadness, the tragedy of a love torn apart by each partner's overeagerness to please the other. While the relationship between Leila and Reza is the film's focus, the film belongs to Leila, beautifully played with great understatement by Hatami. Her despair and desperation dominates the film, and the audience feels it quite intimately--due not only to Hatami's extraordinary work but that of Mehrjui, who wisely never strays from Leila's point of view, enabling the viewer to experience her uncertainty and resulting confusion.
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CompuServe Hollywood Hotline: http://www.HollywoodHotline.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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