What a beautiful film! I had heard about Majid Majidi before but never got to see his work. Now I’ve experienced the work of this master storyteller (as they call him) and truly appreciate it.
It’s about two kids and a shoe. It’s that simple. Two kids in Iran whose father cannot afford to buy a new pair of shoes and the two kids who struggle around a pair shoes. That’s it.
Never knew a film which is just about two kids and a shoe could ever be interesting....So unpretentious, unassuming and refreshing..... And I must confess(not sure whether it’s okay in a public forum) but I did cry after a long time....
Okay, the film begins with Ali’s who loses his sister’s shoe. The kids know that their parents cannot afford a new one. So they don’t let their parents into what’s happened. Ali then decides that his sister would share his pair of old sneakers at school.
Unfortunately it’s the only pair the two have and then begins the very interesting tales how both manage to use the same pair of shoes. The sister finishes (Girls) school early and runs to meet Ali in some lane, quickly change shoes and then Ali runs to his school but to be late. This is despite running real fast and without a break. It’s moves you when you see him being scolded by the School Warden for being late.
He’s obviosuly late not for being playing outside school but had to change his shoe.
Another scene which moves you is when the sister’s shoe falls into a moving drain. The desperation with which she chases the shoe along the drain again moves you and want her to get hold of it very soon because that’s the most precious thing to them.
The best scene resides in the climax. There’s a 4 km race which in which students of different schools participate. Ali begs with his Bossy looking coach to include his name and the plead and tears of this little boy moves a Goliath like Coach. So begins the race....
Ali runs hard and keeps at it. Others move ahead of him as the end approaches. Ali determined as ever runs harder sees that hes leading but then slows down. He want’s to come third. Ali slows down but unfortunately the person behind pulls him down. You almost wanna pick him up and cheer for him when he falls. Ali gets up and with more determination keeps running hard and faster. But unfortunately comes first.
The climax isn’t captured like Jo Jeeta Wohi... where there’s drums playing in the background.The sound is of panting, of laboured breath, of Ali gasping as he reaches the end and wins. The film ends with Ali keeping his feet in water to heal the blisters that have been formed as the shoe deteriortae during the race.
The strenght of the film lies in its simplicity, in its story, aspects of how the Dad cycles his way with Ali through the village with Ali to find work as a gardener.
This movie doesn’t display or exploit their poverty as voyerusirtic, "please pity/symapthise" and cry for the family but tells you how interesting life is without all the flashy means and why they say that God made us all equal. We are all his children.
Hope Danny Boyle is reading. :)
And yeah You know why he wanted to come thrid? Cause the 3rd prize was a "pair of Shoes". That’s why he ran........
Disclaimer: The pace of the movie may not appeal to eveyone as the movie belongs to a different genre.