Children of Heaven was good but nothing to rave about

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2007)

I'm not a huge fan of foreign films with subtitles. And I'm not a huge fan of this movie, but I didn't hate it either. The director had a commending approach while the story and setting was enchanting.
Children of Heaven follows Ali and Zahra, brother and sister in a poor Iranian family. When Ali loses his sisters only pair of shoes they must share his while keeping it a secret from their parents. This movie follows their adventurous dilemma and amazing relationship.
I don't believe that this is a movie for everybody. Personally, I didn't hate it, although I wouldn't put it in my top ten either. But it is a movie worth checking out. What I found most fascinating was the imagery. Since this movie was actually filmed in "everyday" Iran I was intrigued to see how the city actually looked and how people lived. There was such a contrast between the way poor families, such as Ali's lived, and the better off families near the city. And even though this isn't really my type of movie it was interesting and kept my attention, most of the time. The lack of music was well done, but something I'm not very use to and I caught myself dazing off a couple of times. When Ali joins the race the movie really picks up. The scene when Ali is running the race is my favorite, hands down. It didn't only have me on the edge of my seat but the way it was filmed was exceptionally done also. I really liked the way that the director chose to not put any music along with it but instead all that was heard was the boys gasping for air and the sound of their shoes pounding the pavement. I couldn't wait to see the result.
Overall, I would tell people to check it out. It's not a film that I would ever sit down and watch again or try to buy but it would definitely be worth someone's time to watch. It is interesting to see how people live and how films are told half-way around the world. Until watching this movie the only things I saw of Iran on TV was the cultures reactions to war and America. This will definitely broaden your view on the people and the country.