Written and Directed: Majid Majidi
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| https://www.filmslop.com/reviews/childrenofheaven |
This film conjured an avalanche of memories from a forgotten time in my childhood, when poverty prevailed and every penny mattered. We, the children, were meant to be seen but not heard. We were expected to accept what was given, and demanding anything more was deemed abominable. Gifts were to be cherished and utilised until the next buying season. Shopping for clothes and footwear took place once a year, just before Deepavali. We could not complain if the items were torn, damaged, or outdated. Such complaints would be met with a barrage of insults or other forms of abuse. So, we simply made do with what we had.
On one hand, my sisters and I often wondered why we did not turn into raving lunatics while growing up in such a restrictive environment that suppressed all our opinions and desires. Perhaps we already are. Or challenging situations strengthened us, enabling us to endure numerous adversities without crumpling under hardship.
Perhaps the verse from the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216, has merit: "But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you." It emphasises that our perception is not the best judge. There is always a silver lining at the end of hardship.
In impoverished rural Iran, nine-year-old Ali collects his sister Zahra's shoes from the cobbler. Although the shoes have seen better days, Zahra needs to wear them to school, as they are the only pair she has. Their father is unemployed, and their mother is unwell after delivering her third baby.
After collecting the shoes, Ali stopped at the sundry shop to buy potatoes, as his mother had requested. He left the plastic bag containing the shoes outside the shop, but the recycling man accidentally picked it up, mistaking it for rubbish. Ali panicked when he realised this. Despite his frantic searches, he was unable to find the shoes.
Not wanting to burden their already flat-broke parents, the children decide to share the shoes, as Zahra attends the morning school session while Ali participates in the afternoon one. Unfortunately, their respective schools are pretty distant from one another. Much of the film depicts the difficulty of getting the shoes across the village for Ali to use. They have to dash, but Ali invariably arrives at school late, receiving a ticking off from the teacher. All the running ultimately helps Ali win the cross-country race, which promises, of all things, a pair of new trainers.
In another subplot, Ali's father believes his bad times are over when he secures a job as a gardener. Unfortunately, the grand dreams he had built after receiving the money were consumed by medical bills and repairs following his bicycle accident. Man plans, God disposes!
A simple yet meaningful story, 4.8/5.
After collecting the shoes, Ali stopped at the sundry shop to buy potatoes, as his mother had requested. He left the plastic bag containing the shoes outside the shop, but the recycling man accidentally picked it up, mistaking it for rubbish. Ali panicked when he realised this. Despite his frantic searches, he was unable to find the shoes.
In another subplot, Ali's father believes his bad times are over when he secures a job as a gardener. Unfortunately, the grand dreams he had built after receiving the money were consumed by medical bills and repairs following his bicycle accident. Man plans, God disposes!
A simple yet meaningful story, 4.8/5.
