White Dream opens with Reza (director Jebelli) delivering a nasally monologue about dreams, love, and life at the gravesite of his mother. Reza’s soliloquy is that of a simpleton –childlike, and naive- yet it sets up the story perfectly. We learn that Reza is a gopher for a Tehranian wedding shop. Although he is mentally underdeveloped, he has very specific ideas about what a wife ought to be like. Perhaps this is why he’s still single and living with his ancient father. Reza’s stubborn notions about women manifest through his interaction with one of the bridal shop mannequins. After it is removed, Reza makes horrendous choices about women with heart-wrenchingly comic results. He ignores the shy advances of a seamstress to focus on a woman clearly out of his league. Jebelli’s performance recalls Paul Giamatti in American Splendor in that Reza is so at odds with the world that it can almost be difficult to watch. White Dream perfectly mixes lighthearted humor with acute melodrama, and the dismal cityscape of Tehran provides the ideal background for this quirky film about the nature of love. Born in Tehran in 1958, Hamid Jebelli is one of Iran’s most popular actors and a prolific figure in Iranian cinema, theater and TV. His directorial efforts include: Son of Maryam (’99), and The Solo Singer (’93). –Nick Hook

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