The perpetual drunkard and constant cinematic genius W.C. Fields once famously quipped that when it comes to making movies, “never work with animals or children”. How wrong he was – there certainly have been instances where working with them has resulted in disaster, but some of the most compelling performances ever committed to film have come from children or animals (just consider when one of the finest actresses of her generation, Tilda Swinton, said she was inspired to become an actor after watching the performance of the donkey in Au Hazard Balthasar). There are occasionally films that use children as the focus so well, the need for adults is inconsequential. One of the finest films in this regard is Abbas Kiarostami’s masterful A Wedding Suit (Persian: لباسی برای عروسی‎, or Lebāsī Barāye Arūsī), a wonderful little comedy of manners that makes up for its simplicity with some of the most heartwarming, adorable filmmaking of the 1970s. A quaint but truly unforgettable foray into the reveries of childhood, there is very little doubt that while he may be better known for his hard-hitting social dramas, this lovely piece stands as one of the great directors’ most audacious and breathtaking pieces. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming and running at only 54 minutes, its short and impactful, and truly unforgettable.

Set in the centre of a busy city, amongst the urban merchants and shopkeepers, we are introduced to our two protagonists. Ali (Mohammad Fassih Motaleb) is a quiet boy who works as an assistant to a tailor, learning the trade through dedicating his after-school hours to assisting his employer. Hossein (Massud Zandbegleh) is his schoolmate very often found by his side, with the duo normally plotting something when they’re not discussing any of their eccentric colleagues or acquaintances. A wealthy woman and her son pay the tailor a visit and request he makes him a suit for a relative’s upcoming wedding, which the tailor gladly obliges to, with the process set to take only a few days. However, when another young man, Mamad (Mehdi Nekui) hears news of this beautiful new suit being made, he pesters the protagonists until they have no choice but to lend him the suit. Tensions arise when Ali and Hossein go in search of Mamad the night before the suit is to be collected by the patron, only to discover that he is nowhere to be found. They scramble to ensure the suit is returned safely and without any damage, in fears that if Ali’s employer finds out about such a careless act of childish irresponsibility, there will be wrath neither boy wants to be at the other end of.

So much of A Wedding Suit is focused on conversations between the main characters, which is where a great deal of the comedy is derived from. Kiarostami, along with co-writer Parviz Davayi, proves himself to have a great instinct for naturalistic comedy, because not only is this film very resonant, it is also extremely funny, but not in the traditional sense of child-centric films, where physical humour and slapstick overtakes the more intelligent forms of comedy. This film operates on a different level of humour, making us laugh through the attention paid to the insignificant minutiae – conversations about whether or not one of the main characters goes to karate classes becomes a memorable motif throughout, or the frequent persuading Ali receives from his friends in hopes that he’ll lend them the suit, make up subtle but outrageously funny moments that define the film and make it so compelling. Its the simplicity of the comedy in A Wedding Suit that allows for it to be so memorable – it doesn’t try too hard, and it overcomes its pedestrian story with a great deal of exuberant humour and sweet, sentimental comedic timing that serves this film extremely well.

As with most smaller, dialogue-based comedies, A Wedding Suit relies almost entirely on its actors. The central trio of children in this film are so good, we even forget that there are experienced adults appearing throughout it as well. Mohammad Fassih Motaleb plays the main protagonist, a quiet apprentice to a tailor who is almost invisible to those who come in and out of the store (unless they need something), yet he is far more moralistic than a lot of the adults, standing firm in his virtues. A lot of the central tension in the film comes on behalf of his character, who is entirely innocent of the plots of his friends but is the one who will have to pay the consequences. Massud Zandbegleh, as Hossein, is excellent in playing Ali’s friend who pushes him to go out of his comfort zone, yet not being aware that he himself is exactly the same. He would like to see himself as being daring and audacious when in actuality, he is just as ignorant in the real-world as his friend. The chemistry between the duo is impressive, and they bring out the best in each other, resulting in a very real friendship depicted on screen.

The best part of the cast comes in the form of Mehdi Nekui, who steals every scene he is in as Mamad, the persuasive, manipulative friend of the boys who would like to think that is much more of a proverbial “man about time” than them, and fashions himself as leading the extravagant, exciting life that is never confirmed, but is highly suggested to be entirely fictitious, constructions on behalf of a boy with a vivid imagination and the ability to get his way, regardless of the extents he needs to go to. One of the best moments in the film is when we realize why he wanted the suit – he went off to a magic show, where he managed to volunteer to go on stage, hoping to appear dignified and wealthy, only to be derided by the comic magician, who makes the teenager the foil of his own brand of humour – suddenly the macho, arrogant Mamad is brought down to size. Its both funny and poignant, as are many moments we see with these performances. The three actors in A Wedding Suit are astounding, and considering this was the first film for all of them, they give exceptional performances, playing these characters with a blend of resonant reality and pitch-perfect comic timing, and considering this film is mainly based around dialogue, they do very well in handling the sometimes verbose requirements for the film, delivering memorable performances that are as adorable as they are hilarious.

Kiarostami was a director who, above everything else, sought to represent life as it is, and throughout his career, especially in the earlier portion, his films explored existence through the lens of gritty realism, using simplified methods to depict life honestly and profoundly. Despite being a comedy, which was rare for Kiarostami, A Wedding Suit doesn’t feel out of place at all, because at its core, it contains the exact same themes he would make use of throughout the majority of his films – the concept of the protagonist in crisis, and desperately in search of some resolution, is perhaps the most significant here – and while Ali and Hossein may not necessarily be experiencing the kind of crises of identity or existential dread that some of the director’s other protagonists do, they are still trying to make their way through a society in flux, albeit not even realizing it. This film makes use of familiar situations to find the comedy in everyday life – and in structuring it in such a way that may not be convoluted or overly complex, but still filled with dramatic tension (the final few scenes, where we see the protagonists scramble to find the suit and return it in time, are truly thrilling), and the film as a whole is filled with a genial sense of humane humour that really works exceptionally well in the context of the story.

Kiarostami doesn’t do too much, nor too little – he keeps this film afloat by virtue of the wonderful story at its core alone, and the result is a delightful film that makes perfect use of its limitations, and embraces the simplicity of the story and the constraints of the storytelling, with the director delivering a heartfelt and hilarious tale of three young boys going through life as best they can, encountering a particularly tricky challenge and doing whatever they can to get out of it. The film is not entirely serious – there’s not much social commentary (although seeing Iran before the Iranian Revolution of 1979 makes A Wedding Suit an interesting viewing experience for history aficionados), and everything moves at a swift but entertaining pace. Ultimately, I absolutely adored this lovely, endearing little film about friendship and childhood innocence, and the focus on nothing more than unrestrained happiness certainly did not go amiss. It has a rugged purity to it that is missing in a lot of other films, and it is a wholesome, lovable film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Don’t let the size of the running time or the protagonists fool you – A Wedding Singer is a wonderful film that is every bit as impactful as Kiarostami’s other films that peer at more worrying issues. This film is no less indelible, and is a mesmerizing, amusing experience that may not be very serious, but is definitely nothing less than unquestionably special and truly astounding in how heartful it manages to be.