Children of Heaven

A deceptively simple film about siblings Ali and Zarah who shared a pair of sneakers inorder not to burden their poor parents about buying them new shoes. Ali promised Zarah that he would win third place in an inter-school marathon contest so he could give to Zarah the consolation prize of a new pair of sneakers.

Meanwhile, the siblings found out who "stole" Zarah's shoes and they followed her to her home. They soon found out that she was poorer than they were sho they decided to let the matter go. When leaving school Zarah had to run fast to let Ali use his shoes in time for his own class.

The movie is full of snippets of bravery, self-sacrifice, generosity and magnanimity. Flawless imagery and fine acting give the film its added plum. And the fact that this film is from a non-Christian perspective makes it even more interesting.

Director: Majid Majidi
Actors: Amir Farokh Hashiman, Bahare Seddiqi
Country: Iran


out of five

A total knock-out!!!