Director: Majid Javanmard
Cast: Parviz Parastouei, Jalal Moghadam, Behzad Farahani, Farzaneh Kaboli, Parastoo Golestani
Maar is a 1991 Iranian drama-family film directed by Majid Javanmard, following a village man whose impulsive trade of his wife's cherished necklace for an exotic cobra sets off a chain of misfortune, exile, and hard-won moral awakening across the rural landscapes of Iran.
What is Maar about?
A rural performer known for his contortionist acts makes a rash bargain: he hands over his wife's treasured necklace to a passing stranger in exchange for a rare cobra. When the snake disappears, the village turns against him. Branded a liar and stripped of his place in the community, he is driven out and left to wander alone. During his aimless journey through the countryside he crosses paths with an elderly shepherd whose patient wisdom slowly reshapes his understanding of honesty and responsibility. Humbled and changed by the encounter, the man eventually finds a path back to his wife and the chance to begin again — this time on steadier ground.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Majid Javanmard and features a cast rooted in classic Iranian cinema. Parviz Parastouei anchors the film as the flawed protagonist, supported by the veteran Jalal Moghadam in the pivotal role of the guiding shepherd. Behzad Farahani, Farzaneh Kaboli, and Parastoo Golestani round out the ensemble, each bringing naturalistic warmth to the village setting.
Context & significance
Maar arrived in the early 1990s, a period when Iranian cinema was finding its distinctive voice through intimate, morality-driven stories set against rural backdrops. The film belongs to a lineage of folk-parable cinema — closer in spirit to the works being celebrated at international festivals than to urban melodrama. For diaspora viewers, it offers a vivid window into the village textures, communal pressures, and moral codes of pre-modern Iranian life. The cobra at the centre of the story functions as both a plot engine and a symbol: something wild and coveted that cannot truly be owned. It is the kind of quiet, humanist storytelling that resonates deeply with Persian-speaking audiences who grew up on tales where a single mistake reshapes an entire life.
Where & how to watch
Maar is available to stream on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch it on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Start a membership and cancel anytime.