Children of Heaven (Iranian)

After a long long time has some film brought tears to my eyes...No overflowing sentiment, no soap opera blubbering...but a splendid everyday life plot that takes you back to your childhood...Kudos to MM(Majidi-the director)

The film revolves around two kids-Ali and his cute little sister Zahra. They share a little secret which they dont want to blurt out to prevent any try financial trouble to their parents. (I recollected the petty secrets that I shared with my sis :) ) The secret is nothing but the fact they have lost Zahra's shoe and dont want their father to buy one until he gets the new month's salary. ALi's love for his sister and his sobs make him the embodiment of your childhood. Towards the end, when he is crying at having come 1st in a race (he wanted the 3rd position as the 3rd prize was a pair of sneakers) is extremely touching. However the film ends on a happy note.

MM is subtle and the music is aptly matched. Its difficult to find any faults with films of this class. If you havent watched it yet, try to get hold of it as soon as you can. This is an experience you wont want to miss-being transported back to your childhood for one and a half hours.

This will remain among my fav list. It bears a weak resemblance to The Bicycle Thief in the change of human emotions. However this is at the level of a child. But the desperation is apparent in both cases.


Overall 9/10
Direction 9/10
Acting 9/10

Donya (Iranian)

All of u followin my blog must hv understood my affinity towards satires.....and here comes another one....this movie was an Iranian box office superhit..not for no reason...

The film dwells on the eternal clash between the new and the old...but human emotions transcend all barriers...the emotions may be mitigated in the sea of colder blood...but passions can immediately boil up the blood of even a frozen fish..

Haji is a stereotype traditional man whose mind has been frozen in the cultures prevalent 50 years ago..he is against love marriages..believes women should be behind a social purdah..but the fortress of tradition is swept away by the ocean of passion ignited in him when a beautiful woman comes to him to buy his house. By a clever juxtaposition of contrasts, the film dwells on his changes...It becomes even more satiric as he loathes his son for loving a girl....The final climax comes out of the blue..

All in all this is hilarious movie despite conveying a strong message for those who want to take it..

Overall 7/10