A counsellor who patches up other people's marriages while his own family falls apart around him — that is the comic engine of Mojezeie Eshgh (Miracle of Love), a 2018 Iranian romantic comedy from director Mohammadreza Momtaz, headlined by the veteran comedian Akbar Abdi.
What is Mojezeie Eshgh about?
The story follows a middle-aged man who runs a marriage, divorce and family-counselling office, dispensing advice all day to couples on the brink. His composure cracks when his brother, now a television presenter on channels broadcasting from abroad, becomes a source of gossip and trouble that spills back onto the family's reputation. A friend suggests the obvious cure: get out of town, let the noise settle, keep the brother out of the spotlight. The road trip that follows refuses to go quietly, though, because along the way he crosses paths with a spirited young woman — and the man who lectures strangers about love finds himself with no manual for his own heart.
About the cast
Akbar Abdi, one of Iranian comedy's most recognisable faces across four decades of cinema, leads the cast and gives the film its warm, unhurried humour. Kimia Babaian plays the young woman who upends the journey, while Behnam Davari completes the principal trio under Mohammadreza Momtaz's direction.
Context & significance
Released in 2018, Mojezeie Eshgh belongs to the crowd-pleasing wing of Iranian popular cinema: light domestic comedies that fold a romance into questions of family honour and reputation. The subplot about a brother working for foreign-based satellite channels gives the film a distinctly Iranian texture, since such careers have long been a delicate subject inside families. At a brisk 94 minutes, the film aims for an easy evening watch rather than heavy drama, trading on Abdi's screen persona and the gentle irony of a professional advice-giver who cannot follow his own advice.
Watching Mojezeie Eshgh on K-Time
You can stream Mojezeie Eshgh on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Reading this page requires nothing at all; watching takes only a K-Time account login, after which the film plays on smart TVs, phones and laptops through a fully Farsi interface made for the Iranian diaspora.