Language
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN-Iran/Persian/88 minutes/Director-Majid Majidi/1997
Nine-year-old Ali fetches his six-year-old sister Zahra's pink shoes after a cobbler has repaired them. While purchasing potatoes, Ali leaves the shoes, hidden in a bag, outside among the vegetables. A homeless man unknowingly picks up the bag, thinking it is garbage. Ali's family, living in a South Tehran neighbourhood, has financial troubles, so he fears to tell his parents about the loss of the shoes. The movie takes us through the anxiety of the children trying not to reveal the fact to their parents and how in the end they come across the lost shoes. The movies of Majid Majidi, internationally acclaimed Director, are centred on optimism, are personal, embedded, and often steer the world from a child’s unalloyed outlook. Children’s innocence will have an impact on adults, and that’s what he always wants to express. His films demystify the Iranian culture for a global audience and goes beyond language, culture, and geography.