SnoopyStyle In a poor Tehran neighborhood, Ali picks up a pair of shoes for his sister Zahra. He loses them while in a store buying potatoes. His father is a simple laborer and his mother is bedridden. He is desperate to hide the mistake from his father and decides to share his sneakers with his sister. The shoes may be small but the stakes do not get much higher. That is the universal truth and that is the greatness of this movie. The family has so little that those shoes mean everything. The kids are terrific. One can really feel their fear and embarrassment. These are big time performances and they have great humanity. The tension in that race does not get much higher. It is all about the stakes and that small prize has such big stakes. There is a parallel with the Bicycle Thieves and I dare say that this approaches that cinematic icon. This was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar but lost to Life Is Beautiful.

grantss Ali has a problem. He has just lost the prized pair of shoes of his sister, Zahra. He tries to find them but to no avail. Now he and Zahra have to share shoes at school, a situation which causes all sorts of problems. Ali comes up with other plans to get Zahra a pair of shoes. Meanwhile, Zahra thinks she may have tracked down the new owner of her shoes.Sweet movie from Iran. The spin-off events from the loss of the shoes and the adventures of the kids are quite entertaining. Also a great, warmth-filled reminder of life's simple pleasures and how things which may seem unimportant to one person in one culture and/or socio- economic sphere can be vitally important to someone with different circumstances.Not particularly profound though. The movie doesn't really come up with much in the way of profundities or even a powerful conclusion (in fact, the conclusion is fairly weak). It's a simple, linear story with very few frills or great twists, told engagingly and with great warmth.The movie was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1999 Oscars, losing out in the end to Life is Beautiful.

morrison-dylan-fan When reading up about the Iran New Wave (INW) one of the first titles I found out about was Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven. Intrigued by the details,I was disappointed in being unable to track a good print of the movie down. Checking on what films were about to go from Netflix UK,I was thrilled to find an INW film,that I hoped would be heavenly viewing.The plot:Going to get shopping for his family,Ali puts the new shoes his dad ordered for his sister Zahra on the side for a minute.Coming back with a shopping bag,Ali finds that the shoes have been taken. Thinking of the money issues facing the family,Ali tries to keep things hidden. Secretly talking to Zahra,the siblings make a deal of each taking it in turns to wear Ali's old sneakers between classes. Believing that this is the new path they must walk,Ali is thrilled to learn of a contest that might let him make things up to Zahra.View on the film:Keeping the camera at Ali and Zahra's level,writer/director Majid Majidi & cinematographer Parviz Malekzaade masterfully cut rustic INW Neo-Realism with the dramatic heft of the Sports Drama. Keeping costs as low as possible by shooting on location, Majidi gives the side streets of Tehran an earthy atmosphere brushed with lingering shots breathing in the daily life of the family and small tracking shots getting beneath the busy streets of the town. Stepping into the "sports movie" Majidi balances the earthy setting with elegant slow motion that brings out the loud gasps from Ali in his desire to make up for his mistake.Lacing a bond between brother and sister,the screenplay by Majidi gives an extraordinary richness in the daily lives of the family,as Majidi brings to light the smallest moments between the family,from Zahra and Ali writing less than secret notes to each other,to Ali having to run out in the rain to put his torn sneakers in the family shoe area. Joining Ali in putting running shoes on, Majidi wonderfully skips over Sport movie clichés by keeping Ali's contest firmly linked to the family troubles that give the film a touchingly poetic final note. Criss-crossing school runs under the noses of their mum and dad, Amir Farrokh Hashemian and Bahare Seddiqi give magnificent performances as Ali and Zahra,thanks to Seddiqi giving Zahra a taut sharpness, whilst Seddiqi gives Ali a nose to the grindstone determination to find some heavenly footwear.

tjsdomer2 As much as I wanted to like Children of Heaven, it just didn't do it for me. I commend the child actors, as I can't blame them for a script that I felt lacked the urgency and grittiness of the living situation in which they found themselves.Some parts were unnecessary or just outright silly. Some of the relationship between Ali and his father working seemed unconvincing and underdeveloped, and therefore expendable. Also, I was slightly offended at a scene where Ali, at a critical point in the film, cries in order to get his way. At best, I was left scratching my head confused and unconvinced. At worst, I got the message that whining is an OK way to get things done. I know the main character is a kid, and maybe it's too much to ask for someone that age to have a coherent conversation explaining the situation and asking for help in a mature manner. However, Ali does act fairly mature around his sister, so I guess I expected more out of a likable character.Finally, the goldfish thing was a bit lost on me, but that might just be me and I'd appreciate any clarification. I would suggest A Separation instead for anyone wanting an introduction to Iranian cinema.2 out 4 stars.