Donya (2002)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Fresh and Exciting

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I've seen a few Iranian movies over the years: "A Taste of Cherries" and "A Separation" are among the notable ones. Another interesting one is Manuchehr Mosayeri's "Donya". Hedieh Tehrani plays a woman who's just returned to Iran after spending some time abroad. She starts up a relationship with a conservative older man who already has a family.This is not one of those movies that throws a lot of things on the screen to catch your attention. Quite the opposite, it requires an attention span since it's all about the characters and their relationships. The subtitles on the copy that I saw were a little bit funny, but it's a movie that I really recommend. One of the most important things that it shows is that behind Iran's government is a population that has to live its day-to-day lives. The election of a moderate to Iran's presidency has created a new opportunity for a lessening of tensions between the US and Iran, so it's important to seize the opportunity.

Donya is one of those few well directed comedies of Iran cinema, also well written and well acted. Although it is required to mention that Hedye Tehrani played the most important role in this success, the actress who for sure is the only superstar of Iran cinema, of course not the best. And at the other hand Sharifinia seems to be great in acting in such roles! Haji's newly stirred passions including updating his clothing style, cutting his hair, and sending his wife and family on a vacation to get them out of the way is a lot of fun.It could be a good idea to show the movie in international film festivals,as that might be a lot of fun for the foreigners to watch the relationship between a very conservative religious married man and a modern single woman.

Both Tehrani as the beautiful title character and Sharifinia as the scheming Hadji make DONYA worthy of a look. Together, they have the looks and the talent to make a great pair of international stars. Though the movie is a tad slow in the early going, it doesn't take long for things to start to jell. The standout here (in my own, ever humble opinion) is Sharifinia: he shows the necessary range to handle most any (acting) situation. (It would be interesting, indeed, to see him play it straight- no humor, no lovable bumbling- in a political thriller or a murder mystery. He has the face for it.) Not to be overlooked, Ms. Tehrani more than holds her own. It would be nice to see the both of them together again in another type of film.

Donya was a huge hit in Iran, further solidifying Hedieh Tehrani's position as the top female box office draw. It is a very funny look at the relationship between an ultra conservative religious married man (Sharifinia)and a care free, modern single woman (Tehrani). Tenrani's charms slowly, but surely, erodes Shrifinia's traditional values, resulting in a series of hilarious events. Donya is well written and very well acted. Sharifinia is particularly good as the confused conservative guy. In fact his success in this role led him to being type cast in many similar roles. Donya is a prime example of those Iranian films which are loved in Iran but go neglected by international film festivals. A classic comedy from Iran.