Children of Heaven (1997)

Very brilliant film, with (not only) children acting very naturally. A simple story of brother and sister hurrying up to lend each other the only pair of shoes they have, after the brother lost them. It's also a story of material poverty of the children, but richness in feelings and beauty between a brother and a sister. It reminded me of some neorealism italian cinema movement. It's a wonderful example of cinema based on feelings and acting rather than budget.

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.

i was searching some great movies to watch after watching Pan Nalin's Samsara movie & Inaritu's 21 Grams movie. because i can't remove the movements of that movies after watching them. so i wanted to find more movies like them. I thought that there were no movies like them. but when i met this movies i couldn't find words to explain about this movie. i think Majid Majidi has did a great work with those kids. i writing this review right after watching movie. still i can't remove the expressions of them from my head. I suggest you all to watch movie. If you miss this it will be a really miss for you. I can't imaging how director has do this work with those kids. They are doing really great job in the movie.

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.