One rainy day, sitting on my balcony, I was sipping a cup of coffee. The atmosphere reminded me of a beautiful Iranian movie that I had watched on
a drizzly day in past – ‘Children of Heaven’. The memories of this
beautiful, tender and triumphant movie tempted me to watch more such
movies in series. I found the movies so commendable that I was compelled
to write about them. Here is a brief description of the plot of each
movie which I hope will interest you.
Children of Heaven
It’s a story of two little siblings Zohre and Ali belonging to a poor family. Ali somehow loses Zohre’s shoes. He knows that his father cannot afford to buy a new pair of shoes for his little sister and so they decide to make do by sharing a single pair of shoes. What sort of adjustments they do? What kind of problems they face? Does Zohre ever get a new pair of shoes? The movie portrays innocence, maturity and determination of these sweet little angels struggling against poverty.
It’s a story of two little siblings Zohre and Ali belonging to a poor family. Ali somehow loses Zohre’s shoes. He knows that his father cannot afford to buy a new pair of shoes for his little sister and so they decide to make do by sharing a single pair of shoes. What sort of adjustments they do? What kind of problems they face? Does Zohre ever get a new pair of shoes? The movie portrays innocence, maturity and determination of these sweet little angels struggling against poverty.
The Color of Paradise
‘Color of Paradise’ is the story of Mohammad, a blind boy staying at a residential school for the blind, away from his family. Mohammad is a sharp and compassionate boy, with the ability to perceive surroundings despite of his blindness. Being blind, he has to face many adversities. How does he battle with them? The movie underlines the struggle a blind child has to go through in his everyday life. Mohammad’s ability to appreciate the different colors in the kaleidoscope of life leaves us astounded.
‘Color of Paradise’ is the story of Mohammad, a blind boy staying at a residential school for the blind, away from his family. Mohammad is a sharp and compassionate boy, with the ability to perceive surroundings despite of his blindness. Being blind, he has to face many adversities. How does he battle with them? The movie underlines the struggle a blind child has to go through in his everyday life. Mohammad’s ability to appreciate the different colors in the kaleidoscope of life leaves us astounded.
Where is the Friend’s Home?
Ahmed carries home his friend’s homework notebook by mistake. Ahmed’s friend has been forewarned of being dismissed from the school in case of failure to complete his homework on time. Getting worried about his friend, Ahmed decides to return the notebook on the same day. But, all Ahmed knows is that his friend lives in a nearby village. He doesn’t know the exact address of his friend’s house. Will he be able to return the notebook on time? What all hardships he will have to go through in order to fulfill his resolution? The story brings to light the often callous attitude that adults harbor towards children’s problems not considering the agony and anguish that children face when adults belittle their problems.
Ahmed carries home his friend’s homework notebook by mistake. Ahmed’s friend has been forewarned of being dismissed from the school in case of failure to complete his homework on time. Getting worried about his friend, Ahmed decides to return the notebook on the same day. But, all Ahmed knows is that his friend lives in a nearby village. He doesn’t know the exact address of his friend’s house. Will he be able to return the notebook on time? What all hardships he will have to go through in order to fulfill his resolution? The story brings to light the often callous attitude that adults harbor towards children’s problems not considering the agony and anguish that children face when adults belittle their problems.
The White Balloon
It’s New Year’s Eve and everybody is busy with the preparations. The market is full of variety of attractive goods. While walking through the market with her mother, a goldfish catches Razieh’s attraction. After a lot of persuasion Razieh manages to get the money to buy the fish from her mother. Will just getting money help? Will Razieh ever get the goldfish? What all situations she will have to go through?
All these movies have great direction, good acting, good cinematography and much more to offer. While teaching us most important lessons in life, the movies acquaint us with the various minutiae of common Iranian people, society, their natures and their lifestyles. The directors like Majid Majidi, Jafar Panahi, Abbas Kiyarustumi use cinema as an effective instrument in showcasing the subtle facets of Iranian culture in just a couple of hours. People who love art films should definitely give these movies a try.
It’s New Year’s Eve and everybody is busy with the preparations. The market is full of variety of attractive goods. While walking through the market with her mother, a goldfish catches Razieh’s attraction. After a lot of persuasion Razieh manages to get the money to buy the fish from her mother. Will just getting money help? Will Razieh ever get the goldfish? What all situations she will have to go through?
All these movies have great direction, good acting, good cinematography and much more to offer. While teaching us most important lessons in life, the movies acquaint us with the various minutiae of common Iranian people, society, their natures and their lifestyles. The directors like Majid Majidi, Jafar Panahi, Abbas Kiyarustumi use cinema as an effective instrument in showcasing the subtle facets of Iranian culture in just a couple of hours. People who love art films should definitely give these movies a try.
Note: This is the translated version of my earlier blog post which I had written in Marathi. Special thanks to Neha for reviewing and suggesting improvements for this post.
