| "Children of Heaven"
By Andrew Curry
The Miami Herald
Weekend section, Friday,
November 6, 1998
Pure loyalty
is one of the most endearing qualities of childhood, and the Iranian film
"Children of Heaven" beautifully illustrates the simple bonds of love.
Ali (Mohammad
Amir Naji) and his sister Zahra (Bahare Seddiqi) live in the slums of a
large Iranian city with their sick mother and deeply indebted
father. The harsh reality of their lives is brought home when Ali's father
reprimands him for a small mistake: ``You're not a kid anymore -- you're
9 years old!''
After Ali loses
his sister's shoes, they concoct a plan to avoid a beating: Little Zahra
borrows Ali's battered sneakers
each morning, racing home
after her lessons so her brother can run to his school.
In hopes of
winning her a new pair of shoes, the quiet Ali cajoles his way into a footrace,
throwing himself into the effort with the absorbed intensity only a child
could muster.
Director-screenwriter
Majid Majidi tells the story simply, interweaving universal themes of love
and loyalty with the social commentary implicit in the contrast between
the children's lives and those of the rich families whose gardens their
father tends.
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