I saw this in my History of the Middle East class and I was blown away with how well made this movie was. Sure, the sound and the visuals aren't ground breaking, but it gets the job done. While this is a darker movie (like many Middle Eastern movies are), there are occasional funny parts stuck in there (epecially with Leila's uncle). Some of the subtitles are funny too, not on purpose, but they flutter around and sometimes spell a simple word wrong, but that's not the point. I own this DVD, and it's certainly worth renting and watching. It's a chick flick with out all the sappy stuff.

When people speak of Dariush Mehrjui's films what comes. across most often is his ability to paint. complex relationships and emotions without skipping a beat in the film's rythm or pace. Sounds artsy right? But it's true. Leila is a movie with such compassion and tenderness that you can feel. your stomach knot with every event that Leila endures. The film is paced so well and ends so eloquently that (trust me) you don't want to be disturbed by any other sights or sounds for a long time after. Leila is a young iranian girl, in the a social throes, something that she has no choice about. Wish i could summarise the story, but saying anything will give away too much. Especially since the movie is comprised of a series of interlinked events, and any passage of time can only be measured by Leila's everyday agony.

I watched this movie recently and although the movie itself lacks punch, it does give one a good glimpse of upper middle-class society in Iran. The greatest drawback in the movie, IMO, is the lack of emotion in the main characters. Not once does the husband touch Leila's hand or have any physical contact with her even when they are in private. Although this was probably because of censorship issues, it does make the relationship look very artificial. The highlight of the movie for me was the extraordinarily beautiful face of Leila. It was such a joy watching this stunning Iranian face that I missed the subtitles whenever she spoke! What a pity we can't see her in less modest clothes in a Hollywood movie!

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** i found the climax at the end when the husband reza brings over his 2nd wife to leila's house the night of the wedding to be utterly implausible. although i am not iranian nor did i grow up in iran, i did spend some time in the arab world, and it seems to me that the more likely and plausible outcome to this tale would have been for reza to take his 2nd wife to a 2nd house the night of the wedding than to bring her home to leila's house.leila should never have had to clean up her master bedroom and move to the guest bedroom. similarly, leila should never have had to run away from the house to her mother's house.the cruel actions of reza at the end are also entirely implausible given the sensitivity he is portrayed with in the movie, and i felt the director was just trying to instigate a forceful yet unrealistic climax at the end, perhaps to make a statement. a better (yet understated) end to this story would have been to have the 2nd wife come home to a different house the night of the wedding.finally, kudos to leila hatami for a stellar performance!