seemingly dull plot but marvelous!

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2005)

When I repeatedly passed this film at the local library, I completely ignored it because it looked rather dull and I must admit I had a prejudice against Iranian films. I incorrectly assumed that the movie would somehow be anti-Western or full of Islamic anger. Boy, I am VERY glad I was proved wrong.
When I say "dull" above, I am referring to the incredibly simple and mundane plot--the movie is ACTUALLY far from dull. A boy loses his sister's shoes after he picks them up from the shoe repair shop and the rest of the movie consists of him and his sister trying to hide this from their parents. So, HOW does this merit a 9? Well, actually it came pretty close to a 10 (for that see the follow-up film The Color of Paradise)--it was that good. This is thanks to excellent acting by real people and a humanity about the film that crosses all cultures. Despite so many differences between the people of Iran and the United States, this film gave me a ray of hope due to characters' decency and sense of values. This film reminds me very much of the simple yet wonderful films by DeSica, such as Umberto D., The Miracle in Milan and Two Women.