CHILDREN OF HEAVEN

Yesterday I saw Iranian Director Majid Majidi's film "Children of Heaven".This film was made in 1998.In its simplicity & universal appeal it reminded me of De- Sica's Italian classic "Bicycle thieves". The movie has subtitles in English. The subtitles are very easy even for a 9-10 year old kid. It is a movie suitable for both children and adults . The film glows with a kind-hearted purity which is realistic i.e. not of the contrived variety . The film was shot in Tehran . To capture a more realistic image of the city the film was shot clandestinely. 

SYNOPSIS OF THE PLOT (contains SPOILERS!) :-It is a story of a 10-11 year old boy Ali & his younger sister Zahra.In the first shot of the film a cobbler is repairing Zahra's shoes which are then collected by Ali. On his way back from the cobbler Ali goes to the vegetable shop for geting some vegetables. Here a subtle 
hint of Ali's poverty is given when the vendor warns him for paying the old dues . Ali keeps Zahra's shoes outside the vegetable shop and a garbage collector carries them along with the garbage. oncoming out Ali searches the shoes in vain and is shoo-ed away by the vegetable vendor. Ali returns home and asks Zahra not to report the loss of the shoes to their mother. Ali's father is a poor worker and his mother is ill. The brother and sister now work out a solution. Zahra will wear Ali's"Sneakers" in the morning while attending her school. When the school is over, she will immediately rush to catch Ali who will be waiting for her in a narrow back-lane, so that he can then put on the Sneakers & make a run for his school which begins in the noon. Both the brother and sister try their best in accomplishing the above ,but for one reason or the other,very often Ali gets late for his school and is warned by the head master.
In the mean time Zahra observes a girl in the school who is wearing her lost shoes. Zahra follows the girl to locate her house & then takes Ali to her house for recovering the shoes . On finding that the girl's father is a blind garbage collector they return back without confronting the girl or her father. 
Ali & his father go out on a week end in search of a gardener's job with the hope of earning some extra money . Ali& Zahra are hoping that this extra money can be used for buying a new pair of shoes for Zahra.They find some work, get paid for it & are returning back when the breaks of their bicycle fail and Ali's father gets injured and the extra money goes for his medication. 
Finally Ali comes to know in his school about a running race for school children in which the third prize is a pair of Sneakers. Ali tells Zahra that he will take part in the race and try to come third so that he will acquire new Sneakers for her.  Ali some how manages to get selected in his school team and enters the race. 
In the race which is so beautifully filmed Ali comes first to his great dismay . Ali is awarded a large trophy, is felicitated & now becomes eligible for attending a two week camp at Ramsar-all expenses paid . But poor Ali is heart broken . He comes back home dejected & is unable to speak to Zahra who is eagerly waiting for him . At the same time we are shown a single shot in which we get a glimpse of Ali's father in the market who is carrying home number of purchases on his bicycle & among the purchases is a hazy hint of two pairs of shoes. In the final scene a dejected & tired Ali takes out his torn Sneakers and dips his tired legs full of injuries & sores in the cold water of their domestic pond . 

MY IMPRESSIONS:-THE movie was a nostalgic trip for a person like me who grew up as a poor kid in India of 1960s &70s. The movie is about a family which is poor , struggling to survive & yet has the courage to try to overcome the odds which are stacked against it . The film is a story of love between two siblings and in filming this bond with all the fragrance of innocence and sweetness it puts to shame the culture of violent video games & toy guns. 
The scenes of Ali & Zahra exchanging notes during study so as to work out a solution to their problem are filmed very tenderly . The simplicity of Ali's working class father is touching . When Ali & his father are searching part time work as a gardener, he is really intimidated by the challenge of speaking into intercoms or facing ferocious barking dogs . 
Even a 10 year old understands that there is no likely hood of attack of a Godzilla or some giant monster on a city. On the other hand losing your kid sister's shoes entrusted to your care is a real life problem especially when your family can not afford to do so . Hence  the  film  appears far above other       manufactured entertainment . 
ABOUT MAJID MAJIDI:-Majid was born in 1959 in a middle class Iranian family . He started acting carrear at the age of 14with amateur stage groups. He studied at "The institute of dramatic arts " in Tehran. He has made many famous films . 
His film "Song of sparrow" was the inaugural film in film festival 2008 held in India. His documentary "Barefoot to Herat" on life in refugee camps & city of Herat is also very famous. For those of us who have not seen this movie, it is a must see movie . The movie is an unforgettable experience. 
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