Leily Is with Me

I saw a 4 hour version of this movie (the version released in Iranian cinemas was 95 minutes). It appears that it may have been made as a TV series which was later edited down for a theatrical release.

Leily is With Me is a very funny movie. Since it deals with a long,bloody and holy war, it is no mean achievement for director Tabrizi to walk a very narrow tightrope between what could have been termed offensive and what would be acceptable. He has, however, succeeded and Leily is a funny, touching movie.

The main character, Sadegh, is a Woody Allen type guy who is a video camera man. Through a series of misunderstandings and mishaps, he ends up (much against his will) at the front in the war. The reason the movie works is that it is easy to sympathize with Sadegh and his efforts to dodge the trip to the front and escape back to his city. The first half of the movie, which takes place in the city, is the less successful. The second half is the funnier section and the main source for the theatrical released version. The whole film is a throwback to the Norman Wisdom/Jerry Lewis comedies and came as a breath of fresh air to the cinema going public in Iran. It was no surprise that it became a major hit. Parviz Parastui, who plays Sadegh, shines in a role in total contrast to the one he played, with same degree of success, in The Glass Agency.