Children of Heaven (1997)

After a boy loses his sister's pair of shoes, he goes on a series of adventures in order to find them. When he can't, he tries a new way to "win" a new pair.

Director:

Majid Majidi

Writer:

Majid Majidi

Stars:

Mohammad Amir Naji, Amir Farrokh Hashemian, Bahare Seddiqi

Top Rated Movies #131 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mohammad Amir Naji	...	Ali's Father (as Amir Naji)
Amir Farrokh Hashemian	...	Ali (as Mir Farrokh Hashemian)
Bahare Seddiqi	...	Zahra
Nafise Jafar-Mohammadi	...	Roya
Fereshte Sarabandi	...	Ali's Mother
Kamal Mirkarimi	...	Assistant (as Kamal Mir Karimi)
Behzad Rafi	...	Trainer (as Behzad Rafiee)
Dariush Mokhtari	...	Ali's Teacher
Mohammad-Hasan Hosseinian	...	Roya's Father
Masume Dair	...	Roya's Mother
Kambiz Peykarnegar	...	Race Organizer
Hasan Roohparvari	...	Race Photographer
Abbas-Ali Roomandi	...	Shoemaker
Jafar Seyfollahi	...	Green Grocer
Qolamreza Maleki	...	Salt Seller

Storyline

Zahra's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zahra until they come up with an idea: they will share one pair of shoes, Ali's. School awaits. Will the plan succeed?

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Plot Keywords:

race | late for school | family relationships | neorealism | cobbler the shoemaker | 

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Taglines:

A Little Secret...Their Biggest Adventure!

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Release Date:

22 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Children of Heaven

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,100, 24 January 1999

Gross USA:

$933,933

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$933,933

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kanun parvaresh fekri

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Iran's official submission for the Foreign Language Film category of the 71st Academy Awards (1999).

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Goofs

When Ali and Zahra are meeting to swap shoes in the rain, we follow Zahra running through the soaking streets. When it cuts to the alley where the swap takes place, the ground is completely dry. After they split, we follow them running through a street which is watered down.

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Quotes

Ali: Zahra, I have good news.
Zahra: What news?
Ali: I am selected for the race.
Zahra: What race?
Ali: Long-Distance Running. The third-best runner gets a pair of new sneakers.
Zahra: Why the third?
Ali: The First and Second prizes are something else. If I come in third, I'll give you the sneakers.
Zahra: But those shoes are for boys.
Ali: I'll exchange them. I'll get a pair of girl's shoes for you.
Zahra: What if you don't come in third?
[...]

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Connections

References Bicycle Thieves (1948)

User Reviews

a work of art

The wonderful Iranian film "Children of Heaven" and its companion piece, "The White Balloon", remind one of those great Czechoslovakian films of the 1960's ("The Shop on Main Street," "Loves of a Blonde," etc.) in that they achieve their artistry by providing keenly observed glimpses into the minutiae of everyday life. They also help to humanize a culture often regarded as alien and even incomprehensible to western eyes. Above all, this magnificent film reminds us that real drama comes not in the form of over-plotted special effects-laden extravaganzas, but from films that examine the universal simplicities of life as we all know it. When it is distilled through the eyes of a poet - this is when art is achieved.

"Children of Heaven" has its roots planted firmly in the neorealist tradition. Its simple story echoes not merely the earlier "The White Balloon" but the original Italian classic, "The Bicycle Thief." In this film, young Ali accidentally loses his sister's recently mended shoes; out of this tale of utmost simplicity, the filmmakers take us on a fascinating tour of life in a typical Iranian village and family. As Ali and his sister scheme to overcome this obstacle, the film touches on any number of universal themes: the close ties of siblings united in their common bond of avoiding often irrational parental anger; well meaning, loving parents overwhelmed with the trials of everyday life who are often compelled to act out in ways that seem cruel to the children who adore them; the petty viciousness with which children often strike out at each other, yet, at the same time, the often unexpected kindness and empathy with which they also treat one another. The film manages to keep the audience constantly engrossed in its action without once resorting to even a smidgen of incredibility or melodrama. Beautifully directed, with a superb soundtrack filled with heightened naturalistic noises, it is a film of many-splendored wonders, its lyricism caught in a glimpse of soap bubbles floating around a backyard produced by two children abandoned to their moment of incomprehensible youthful joy, its high drama found in a shoe racing down a city sewer with a desperate young girl in tow.

The actors, children and adults alike, underplay their roles in so naturalistic a fashion that one does not even feel they are performing at all; the film, through them, becomes a magical fabric of life that draws the audience deep into its world.

"Children of Heaven" brilliantly demonstrates that works of art often arise from the observation of the most seemingly mundane concerns of daily life and reminds us that this provides far more drama than all the exploding spaceships, car chases and hyperkinetic melodrama that flood the screen in the guise of entertainment. It certainly shows just how phony, empty and bereft of life most American films are. Don't miss "Children of Heaven"! It is a richly rewarding experience.