Children of Heaven Film Review

Rating: 7/10 (12 February 2007)

Ali and Zahra are two inspiring young actors in an Iranian film called Children of Heaven. Ali and Zahra are the two main characters in the movie. Furthermore, their father has a decent role and their mother is only seen in the house. The film takes place in an urban suburb of the city in Iran and is surrounded around the school and where they reside. Other scenes include a trip to the lavish and beautiful city to the rich neighborhoods. The pace of the movie is relatively slow, especially in the opening scene, but progresses at a decent and almost unnoticeable pace. The framework of the movie is taken straight from the streets of Iran, in an actual schoolyard, house, and city in Iran. In addition, there are no props used in the movie.
The movie is surrounded by his sister's shoe that is lost. It doesn't seem like a great plot, but the true meaning of the shoe makes the movie relatively good. To Americans, it doesn't seem like a big deal about losing a shoe, but Ali's father cannot afford another shoe for his sister. The movies main conflict is Ali's struggle to make it to school because he cannot wear his slippers. In Iranian culture, the girls wear clothes that cover their bodies, or a hijab, and the only thing that differs between them is their shoes'. Ali's goal is to find his sisters shoes, but he must overcome obstacles to get them back. Much of the social commentary is between Ali and Zahra, with a short scene between Ali and his father. This movie can be heard in French or Persian, and can be read in subtitles.
This movie has a hidden image, and if you can determine it, it is a very good meaning. The water being the will of God is a theme in this movie that is shown quite nicely. The movie also displays themes of modernity versus tradition. As in most cases, the youth having the modernity and the elder's keeping their traditions. The movie does not display any religion or any views on government due to it being outlawed by the government. The scenery in the movie is excellent due to the fact it is taken straight from the streets of Iran and the plot, although different from a western film, is good and will keep the audience interested. Once you can get over the subtitles, unless you speak Persian or French, the movie is entertaining and fascinating.