Beautiful Poetic Imagery

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2007)

Children of Heaven is a simple movie, but creative in its imagery and symbolism. The story is about a boy who loses his sister's shoes and his fierce determination to get his sister a replacement pair. The most poignant scene that illustrates the boy's desire to help his sister and bring her comfort is shown in the marathon race around the lake in a modern downtown city in Iran.
Ali enters a marathon race to win third prize, which is a new pair of sneakers, for his sister, Zahra. The race begins and Ali is in the middle of a pack of boys, all around his age. A few times, Ali trips and falls to the ground, causing him to fall behind the other boys in the race, losing his place. Every time he falls down, he picks himself back up with a look of fierce determination on his face and charges back into the race. He is breathing heavily and fatigue begins to show on his face, but he only thinks of his sister and his promise to get her a new pair of shoes. This show of fierce family loyalty is so moving, especially from one so young.
All around him there are birds chirping and trees moving past him, with a large lake behind Ali in every take. This reference to a garden, water, and Ali's promise are striking allusions to the Islamic religion on which this movie is based. The lake is an Islamic symbol for purification, alms, and the Will of God. Water is an unstoppable force that cannot be avoided just as God is an unstoppable force that is always affecting man's everyday lives. The trees and the sound of the birds singing is another allusion to God through nature. This nature is a representation of the Garden of Eden from which all of mankind derived and will one day re-enter.
This movie ties together to Islamic tradition of family helping one another in times of need and the will and power of God in their everyday lives. This is definitely a movie worth seeing if you love simple and beautiful imagery, straightforward story line, and the determination of man to overcome adversity.