Marmoulak
Tags: comedy, satire

Plot synopsis:
Reza Mesghaly, known as Reza the Lizard, is a thief known in criminal circles for his ability to bare-handedly climb all walls (from which he derives his name, "the Lizard", or "Marmoulak" in Persian). At the very beginning of the film, he is arrested and charged with armed robbery, a crime that as revealed near the ending of the film, he did not commit. Nonetheless, he is sentenced to life in prison, and is met at the jailhouse by a strict warden, who says that his intention is to "make a person out of prisoners"; thus they will be led into heaven; "by force," if necessary.
Reza is very restless at the prison, to the point where he steals medicine from the infirmary with and commits suicide. He is unable to go through with the act, however, and is stopped by his cellmate, who in the course of fighting with Reza causes the medicine bottle to break and cut open his arm. Reza is sent to the hospital to recover, where he meets a cleric, also staying in the hospital, also by the name of Reza. During his stay, the two become friends, and Reza Marmoulak overcomes his dislike of the Islamic clergy to accept the mullah after he is told a profound statement which stays with him for the rest of the film - "There are as many ways to reach God as there are people in the world."
Before he is discharged back into the prison, Reza Marmoulak steals the cleric's clothing, and impersonating him, is able to escape the prison and contact one of his friends, who tells him to go to a small border village and contact a man who will give him a fake passport to cross the border with. In the meantime, the warden is informed that Reza has escaped, and seeing this as a personal blemish on his record, pursues the criminal to the border village. Arriving by train at the village, Reza is taken in by the villagers who mistake him as the new mullah who was supposed to join their mosque.
The remainder of the film documents Reza's attempts to get in contact with the criminal underworld to obtain his false passport, while the police pursue him at the behest of the warden; and all along Reza tries to avoid tipping off the villagers to his actions. In the course of this, he becomes something of a hero in the eyes of the villagers, who misinterpret his attempts to track down his false passport as his visiting the homes of poor people and giving them charity. These actions continue to draw the praise of the villagers, convincing those who have abandoned faith in their religion to come to the mosque once again to hear the sermons of Reza Marmoulak, most of which are derived from his brief contact with the cleric in the prison's hospital.
Through this several speeches it is that Reza eventually yet gradually comes to an understanding of the phrase the real Mullah told him; and how all men will always own a path, bringing them to God.
At the end of the film, Reza is finally tracked down by the warden, and on the night of a religious celebration at the mosque, he is arrested, without the villagers noticing. He hands over his robes to a small boy who had watched him over the course of the entire film, possibly the only person in the village who had guessed his identity all along, and goes peacefully with the warden and the police officer back to the prison in Tehran. As they are entering the car, the officer attempts to handcuff Reza, an attempt stopped by the warden and followed by his famous line, "Not necessary any more".
The film ends with a shot inside the mosque, now being finally full of eager prayers because of Reza. as the police car leaves for Tehran, the prayers look at it; probably wondering about the petty thief in it, while waiting for the great Mullah. This frame is frozen, and the same words spoken by the mullah in the hospital and the most important message of the film are heard for one last time; this time expressing Reza's destiny.
"There are as many ways to reach God as there are people in the world."

Review: Hilarious and powerful..
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.
Nice and totally different.
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..
what a great movie.bravo!!!!.
I have seen this movie over 10 times.
As an Iranian I found that the movie was very funny yet very thoughtful.
I think Mr. Kamal Tabrizi (director) is trying to distinguish between true believers and the ones that use religion in a negative way to control the masses.
Here is a felon who escapes from prison using some cleric's clothing.
That same cleric tells "Maroulak', before his escape, that there an as many ways to reach God as there is people on Earth.
The cleric uses a proverb in Persian witch means almost the same as the one in English, You can't judge a book by its cover, after Reza (maroulak) curses mullahs and finds out that he is one also.
He also reads him a paragraph from the book called "The Little Prince".
After his escape, Reza ends up in a small town that has an almost unfrequented mosque but slowly people start coming back to see who this new cleric is.
For me this movie is very symbolic of the way Iranian live today with there religion and leaders.
There are some people that can't differentiate between the good ones and the "evil" ones.
Most of them judge a cleric as soon as the see he is dress like one therefore Mr. Tabrizi tries to tell us to hold our judgements until we are sure of them.
We also see a little boy throughout the movie that never talks witch is the same little prince, in my opinion, from that famous book.
I find that this was one of the best movies I have ever seen and a great contribution to Persian cinema.
But sadly many Iranians that I have talked to don't understand the movie for what it is.
So if you going to see the movies remember that this movie is mainly based on one sentence: YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER.
I also suggest that one read the mentioned book before watching the movie..
excellent movie...
excellent movie...
worth to see !.
Not Iranian, nor Muslim, nor religious, all that makes I'm supposed to have a free open mind to see it, without prejudice, in any way or about...
:) What brought me to see Marmoulak ?
I don't know : the ways of God are impenetrable !
Kiding, of course, with not offense to anyone...Until now this is my first and only Persian movie I saw...and I enjoyed it a lot : good story, good acting, excellent music...It's a bitter-sweet comedy, about Reza the lizard, his short adventures in jail, and then a (may I call it like that ?) kind of involuntary redemption...Don't expect, if you're like me a western European citizen, to laugh very loudly, but to have a certain smile all along the movie...I mean, following Persian(?) commentaries it seems that depending on your national and cultural background, you will laugh more or less, very loudly....
but nevertheless think it is an excellent movie.It doesn't deal with all the stupid clichés one might have about religion, (any of them) but present an profound human aspect of anyone trapped in something which was not chosen...Touching and interesting, I'm glad it entered my library !
Opposing to some comments, I think this good movie is Not only for Iranians...but if you are an average middle abc/nbc/cnn/fr1/ab1 television type freak, may be you better turn on your TV daily program...who knows, be careful, it could open your mind !***A film is never really good unless the camera is an eyes in the head of a poet Orson Welles***.
My Favorite Iranian Film Yet. Just saw this film at its American debut (?) at the Neptune Theater as part of the Seattle Int'l Film Festival.
Marmoulak (The Lizard) is a heartwarming and saddening tale about a man on the run who disguises himself as a Mullah while trying to sneak across the border to get out of Iran.
A comedic satire in the tradition of La Ley de Herodes, Marmoulak is full of gentle humanist irony which becomes sadly evident but never too overt.
Parvis Parastui gives an outstanding performance in the lead, and all the supporting roles are also acted at a highly competent level.
The story and cinematography are quite professional as well.
After a very successful run, Marmoulak was banned in Iran as sacrilegious.
It's definitely worth checking out.
Every American who thinks about the nuclear option when the Middle East is discussed should certainly be forced to watch this film..
First, I need to thank the Seattle International Film Festival for locating a copy of this movie and screening it.
They went to enormous lengths to make sure a few hundred Americans saw The Lizard, but it was worth it.The film focuses on Reza "The Lizard," a robber doing time in a prison run by a warden who plans to make him go on a "diet for the soul," so that Reza can enter heaven.
Reza has obviously had some negative experiences with religion in the past, and this doesn't do anything to change his view.
When he sees an opportunity to escape by dressing as a Mullah, Reza, fearless of the religious implications, takes it.
Hilarity ensues.He ends up in a small town where he must pose as the new leader of their mosque.
In so doing, Reza is given a unique opportunity: to create a religion built not on the hypocrisy of others and all the negative things he sees other religious people doing, but one that truly represents the positive possibilities of his faith.I am firmly agnostic and my study of religion is and always has been one born of curiosity rather than personal belief.
This movie was inspiring and moving in a way that few others are, not only for its eventual embracement of the good aspects of all faiths but as a simple parable that religion is unique to each person rather than a reflection of the negativity of some of its practitioners.Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this movie will ever be on DVD, and except for the one copy screened at SIFF 2005 it will probably never make it outside of Iran (where it was banned for being sacrilegious).
If you ever get an opportunity to see The Lizard, don't pass it up..
One of the best Iranian movies, but for an Iranian audience.
Summary: One of the best Iranian movies ever made, but for an Iranian audience only.Marmoulak is a political/social satire, but its comedy is subtle and better understood by an Iranian audience.
I'd like to compare it to "Blazing Saddles", often cited by American movie watchers as one of the funniest movies ever made, while a non-American audience is only mildly amused by it.
Cultural differences play a big role.Marmoulak's power of humor lies in the comments, words, situations and overall behaviour of the characters, which are not always understandable to the non-Iranian crowd.
For instance, many of the seemingly innocent comments in the movie are copied or distorted very cleverly from the political/religious slogans, speeches and actions of Iran's religious clergy.
Those parts are easily identifiable and enjoyable by Iranians, while non-Iranians may not quite understand the subtlety of it.That said, the movie is powerful, enjoyable and with brilliant acting.
The story is quite simple and has been repeated in many forms before.
A jailed thief seizes upon a chance encounter to escape from prison using the stolen clothes of a clergyman.
With Prison's warden (depicted as a despotic maniac) after him, he escapes to a border village where the local people think he has been sent for preaching in their mosque.
The rest of the movie depicts the thief's efforts to find a way across the border, while playing the role of an unconventional preachers who actually plays a huge role in the life of the villagers.
Parviz Parastooi plays the lead role in a breathtakingly magnificent way, and this fact is again only obvious to an Iranian audience who know exactly the class of people he is trying to portrait.
The movie has a good pace; in contrast with other well known Iranian movies such as Kiarostami's and Panahi's works that are typically very slow.
Dialogues are extremely clever.Given 9 out of 10 by this reviewer..
Humorous, yet, touching and profound film.
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..
a wonderful movie.
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..
Did you watch :Gasht-e ershad (2012)-Gasht-e ershad 2 (2017)
this are realy good just try it !.
An interesting film SPOILER.
Being a practicing Muslim myself, hearing the storyline of the film gave me reservations.
An Iranian film about a thief escaping prison by emulating and dressing as a religious scholar, I knew the film was going to deal with sensitive religious and political matters.
Although not Iranian myself, I was aware of cynicism towards the Iranian government and its religious rulings on its citizens.On that basis I knew that when I had to judge the film I had to also try to understand it from the perspective of an Iranian living under the government.
When I saw the film, however, I realized that it had a deeper meaning than I thought it would.
I found it to be an intelligent film that had a comical plot and funny parts but with more serious implications.
The thing I most like about the film is that it is quite fair and balanced.
The thief, after pretending to be a religious scholar, realises that God is good and finds religion during this point, instead of criticising religion.
This helps to show a distinction between the perfection of religion and the imperfection of human beings, who at times misuse religion.However whilst saying this I did find some parts of the film quite offensive to religion such as the mockery of the young boys who were inspired by the scholar.Overall I thought the film was quite deep and was made in a clever manner but the issues dealt with were too sensitive and quite offensive at times..
this time it doesn't cause any tears.
Of all Iranian movies, this is the only one which made me laugh and think about the little details about Islam and how people who claim to be so devoted to their religion might be dragged on by a thief.
It was very amusing, full of irony and sarcasm.
The thief always reveal his true nature in every single occasion, even his journey into Islamic local area doesn't make him a believer.
I exploit it so cunningly and luckily that he gets away all the time.
The movie takes us to decide whether he is a good person in nature or not.
We get to the end of the movie just to learn the result.
That's why the movie lets us inside and never let go.