Children of Heaven (1997)

good back-story, and good acting

Absolutely Fantastic

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

On the face of it, this is a gentle and warm hearted movie that so many reviewers have detailed already that I won't have to go into an explanation of what occurred. The young actor portraying Ali (Amir Farrokh Hashemian) was quite incredible conveying the emotions involved with losing his sister's shoes, trying to explain the dilemma to her and dealing with the school principal who always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Ali got to school late.The sister (Bahare Seddiqui) was also quite good but not as accomplished as her sibling. I actually found the side story of Zahra dropping her pen and her new friend Roya returning it to be somewhat more compelling. The subject of the 'lost' shoes never came up between them, even though Zahra saw her wearing them, retrieved from the discarded material at the produce stand. One wonders why the subject never came up; one assumes Zahra was too shy or embarrassed to ask about them.What I'm not understanding is why there wasn't more of a sense of closure for Ali and Zahra over the fate of the shoes. Granted, Ali went the extra mile by entering the race contest and winning, but in this case, it was the father who would inadvertently save the day with new shoes for both of them after earning a good day's pay. There is probably some meaning to be taken from the goldfish ending that eludes me, but it's something I won't dwell on. The film works as a feel good movie for the resolution of Ali and Zahra's plight, but I didn't get a sense of what was so extraordinary in the telling.

Ali has a problem. He has just lost the prized pair of shoes of his sister, Zahra. He tries to find them but to no avail. Now he and Zahra have to share shoes at school, a situation which causes all sorts of problems. Ali comes up with other plans to get Zahra a pair of shoes. Meanwhile, Zahra thinks she may have tracked down the new owner of her shoes.Sweet movie from Iran. The spin-off events from the loss of the shoes and the adventures of the kids are quite entertaining. Also a great, warmth-filled reminder of life's simple pleasures and how things which may seem unimportant to one person in one culture and/or socio- economic sphere can be vitally important to someone with different circumstances.Not particularly profound though. The movie doesn't really come up with much in the way of profundities or even a powerful conclusion (in fact, the conclusion is fairly weak). It's a simple, linear story with very few frills or great twists, told engagingly and with great warmth.The movie was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1999 Oscars, losing out in the end to Life is Beautiful.

I really happy to see this type of movie; thanks for all. I want to this type movie in future. We can make this beautiful movies on next year. Children of Heaven really good movie.I do respect people's faith, but I don't respect their manipulation of that faith to create fear and control. It's happy us.

Iranian cinematography is one the Asian's most influential film industries. Its reputation is primarily being built on heavy drama genre and "Children of heaven" is one of those dramas.The story is quite simple. Brother and a sister must share a pair of sneakers due to his clumsiness that lead to the losing of her repaired shoes. Overall atmosphere is grim and heavy economical situation is the basis of the plot.On the other hand, both kid actors are just adoring and the script is really consistent in its basic punch line. Director Majid Majidi follows that consistency with its camera and action sequences (mostly running) all the way to a bit of disappointing ending."Children of heaven" is a powerful and timeless "family drama" for the entire family that will make you stop taking things for granted.