In 1992 Khatami abruptly left his position in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and he cited the strict regulation of art as the reason for his resignation. This chapter examines the circumstances leading to his resignation and, in particular, it investigates the case of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s controversial film Time for Love (1991). The release of Time for Love, which openly depicts a married woman’s affair, sparked a media frenzy, as conservative religious leaders, policymakers, and commentators blamed Khatami for its release, since the film had gone through the Ministry’s inspection process. The criticism launched against Khatami became so severe that he was forced to respond publically and defend his support of the film. This chapter examines the debates about Time for Love as they unfolded in newspaper editorials, political speeches, and religious sermons. These debates instruct us that the film industry helped to shape certain reformist ideas in the early 1990s, and it was Time for Love’s appropriation of a mystic aesthetic that appealed to these budding reformists.