Sometimes second-guessing a film can actually prove helpful, especially in films such as this gem. A no-budget film from Iran and human above all else, tells the story of how two siblings loved each other in their unique, original way, by sharing a pair of dirty, old shoes.
So sweet and great!!!! An ignored-incredibly-good masterpiece! It's just sooooooo human, charming, inspiring and sad! I beg every human to see it! I admire your films Majid Majidi!
"Children of Heaven" is a film about poor children with parents in dire straits, who lose a pair of shoes and must do their best to go on with their daily school routine without their father noticing.
In the way it pulls the viewer in by eliciting his compassion for poor people who lose what little they have, this film reminded me of De Sica's "Ladri di Biciclette" and Zhang Yimou's "Not One Less", though I liked both of these two films better.
The child actors, both brother and sister, are excellent, but I found the film a little too slow and slightly irritating because of the accumulation of problems the characters go through. There is not much "adventure" either (this is no "Raiders of the Lost Pair of Shoes") and the movie poster is quite misleading, as most of what the children do are daily, isolated efforts, their interactions are quite limited, and they never stray very far from either home or school.
sheds some much needed light on life for the regular Iranian citizen, makes you think twice about how different our societies are, maybe sometimes we are not different for the better, but they are.
This was a really cute movie, I loved the little boy he was so cute, and when he started crying he looked so pitiful. Zahra was cute to and so was the other little girl whos father was the blind man who accidently got Zahra's shoes. I was confused in the end because i didn't know if Zahra and Ali ever got new shoes.
What a marvelous thing film can be. It can touch us and open our hearts to a culture that is both different and familiar to ours. CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, a film by Iranian filmmaker, Majid Majidi, takes us into the world of a little boy and his sister, letting us feel the love and trust that they have in each other. The boy, through no fault of his own, loses his little sister's newly repaired school shoes the day before she needs them. It becomes their secret. They try sharing a pair of his sneakers -- the girl wearing them in the morning and he in the afternoon to school. The wonderful, innocent faces of the beautiful Iranian children and their code of honor, even in poverty, provides the bases for a very uplifting tale of children trying to overcome a crisis. The direction, cinematography, music are all outstanding -- but it is the children that you will fall in love with. Well worth picking up on DVD (though there are no "Extras" to speak of).
Un film touchant qui nous montre une autre réalité. Un film d?enfants sans en être un à la fois. Je ne sais pas si le film voulait nous montrer ceci mais j?ai l?impression de voir un film sur la prise en main de soi-même et l?entraide. Les acteurs-enfants jouaient très bien.
I expected more form this film, the story is quite simple but beautiful, but the movie is predictable and the performances are simples. The ending? is just bad.
Esta sencilla historia de dos hermanos en Iran es conmovedora y genuina. Aunque audiencias convencionales encuentren la pelicula un tanto aburrida, en realidad te cautiva hasta el ultimo minuto. Otra joyita de cine internacional, perfecta para toda la familia.
An excellent little film about two adorable children who live in poor conditions and the demands on their time, energy, material possessions and ability to function normally as a child.
Very beautiful and touching movie. That little boy's eyes are just heartbreaking! Glad that I finally saw it. My sisters have been talking about it for a long time.
I was close to tears, but my mum and sister were like ready to pour bucket loads of em at the end...A great take on how poverty makes one's every single penny count...I loved the exploration of brother-sister love which is rarely a theme for movie-making...Kudos to the director for coming up with a story based around just a pair of shoes...
It's a simple and special story about innocence and friendship between poor brother and sister of Iran. The kids are pretty and lovely and the story is very touching. It's one of the greatest films I've ever seen.
Majid Majidi shows once again his mastery of the camera, his use of color, and lyricism by bringing us a story in which a pair of shoes is the connection between to children.
Great close-ups!
this is also sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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