If you’re a foreign film buff, your movie watching is still incomplete if you have missed the Iranian section. Children of Heaven was the first Majid Majidi film i’d watched, and I was positively unhappy towards the end. I loved the movie; mainly its plot. The movie had proved to me, that you didn’t need elaborate, action-oriented, exotic scripts to lure an audience. You just needed a simple plot and likeable characters. I was unhappy because our Hindi filmmakers seemed quite oblivious to this idea! Children of Heaven is set in the impoverished parts of Iran, where Ali and Zahra live with their god-fearing, hard-working parents.
The plot begins with Ali losing Zahra’s shoes on his way from the market. Scared and apprehensive about its consequences, Ali confides in his sister Zahra. Knowing that their parents wouldnt be able to afford a new pair, they arrive at a plan. Zahra would wear Ali’s shoes to school, in the morning. After her classes, they’d meet at an alley and Ali would then wear them to school. This secret arrangement results in some anxious moments and delightful mishaps, that are both amusing and touching.
Then one day, Ali gets to know about a marathon for schoolboys. The noticeboard specifies that the winner of the third prize will be given a pair of sneakers. Ali enters the race determined to win those sneakers, assuring Zahra that he will win the third price; not the first or the second, but the third. To find out if he wins them, you’d have to watch the film. As simple as it might seem, this film set in a country that follows censorship strictly, is rather interesting. It shows very poor people, who barely manage to make their day-to-day living. But then, you also get a glimpse of modern day, wealthy Iran, when Ali and his father cycle to the city.
The film also gives you a peek into the Iranian soul. You see them for generous, hard-working, religious people. Amir Farrokh Hashemian and Bahare Seddiqi who play Ali and Zahra are amazing little actors. Their relationship is beautifully shown in the film. They live in the midst of poverty and sickness; but seem happy. They exude youth and its vibrance, despite their bleak surroundings. But then again, the film isn’t about their lives.
Master Director Majid Majidi focuses only on the children, and how they manage with a single pair of old shoes.