Hafez (2007) Reviews

A religious scholar is accused of a crime of impropriety against one of his students in this independent drama. Shams al-Din (Mehdi Moradi) is an Iranian scholar who has gained the nickname "Hafez" (from a celebrated Persian poet) for his deep knowledge of the Koran. Shams is hired to tutor Nabat (Kumiko Aso), a young woman from Japan, on the holy text as she prepares to marry the son of a local judge. Islamic law prevents Shams from looking at his pupil, but they can speak to one another, and as he guides her through the Koran, he becomes both intrigued and infatuated with her. One day, Shams can no longer bear his curiosity, and takes a brief look at his student, discovering she's as lovely as he imagined. Shams' timing is unfortunate, and he's seen looking at Nabat; her future father in law is enraged, and insists the teacher be punished as severely as possible. Even through he faces jail time, a public beating and banishment from his home, Shams refuses to apologize for his actions, insisting his love for Nabat is pure and not lustful. Written and directed by Abolfazl Jalili, Hafez was a rare co-production between Japanese and Iranian production companies. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi