MOVIE · 2004

The Lizard

ActionAdventureComedyDrama115 min

Petty criminal Reza escapes prison by stealing a clergyman’s robes, only to find that posing as a holy man in post-revolutionary Iran is less a disguise than a job. Parviz Parastui is Reza, nicknamed “the Lizard,” heading for outlying villages while plotting to leave the country. Instead, the locals take him in, look to him for guidance, and expect sermons, rituals, and answers he doesn’t have. Kamal Tabrizi’s film turns the setup into a satire of clergy, public life, and survival, as Reza’s cover keeps pulling him deeper into a community that sees him very differently than he sees himself.