User reviews

Children of Heaven, which is Iran's selection for best foreign film at the Academy Awards, is a very good movie mainly because anyone in this world can relate to the topic of family and showing love to each other no matter the living circumstances. As an Iranian film, it is definitely played safe but a film with such an universal theme and elegantly told as here should really not be missed, especially by movie-lovers.

Majid Majidi's film is about a young boy named Ali who accidentally lost his sister Zahra's shoes. But their family can ill afford to buy new shoes, Ali decides to share his shoes with his sister until he can get new ones for her and so he can avoid punishment.

The acting is pretty good, and pretty heartfelt. There is no questioning the chemistry between Amir Farrokh Hashemian as Ali and Bahare Seddiqi as Zahra. Reza Naji who plays as their father is also good as the man who is trying to do all he can to provide food for his family.

Overall, Children of Heaven is a simple film but it displays a strong message about the bond of family. There are some talented films from the Middle East and this is one of them. It's a strong film about courage and about doing what's right. My favorite scene is where the father and the son leave their poor slums as they head uptown to the rich neighborhoods. This film shows how American kids are vastly different than kids from these parts of the world.....and not exactly in a good way. This film is a little too simple for me, but there is no denying how powerful this film is. I rate this film 8/10.

Majid Majidi's Bacheha-Ye Aseman is a fascinating and deeply moving piece. It is a children movie which will be equally enjoyed by adults, and that's simply because it will take any adult back to their childhood days, back to the days when they did something wrong and were afraid to confess to their parents. The film was made with great simplicity and soul, and its impact is perfectly made through the characters of Ali and Zahra, two amazing kids who can set an example to anyone. Majidi brilliantly captures the world of these young golden-hearted creatures. They are smart, intelligent, innocent, respectful and caring. It's quite impressive to see how little kids pay respect to their seniors, what moral values they have, and their tender care for their parents' economic status and daily struggle is particularly moving. More than anything, it is their own sibling relationship which tugs at the heartstrings. Majidi's portrayal of the neighbourhood, the school where the kids study, and their own home, is most lifelike and authentic. Without a doubt, the script is the film's main winner, but the casting is one of the film's biggest strengths. Amir Farrokh Hashemian and Bahare Seddiqi are astonishing in their roles - charming, convincing, heartbreaking and totally relatable. You really feel for these kids and really want to settle their problems so that they can move on. This film is a true example of superb acting by child artists, and it shows how far they can go in their ability to explore the innocent spirit of childhood. Bacheha-Ye Aseman is a wonderful cinematic experience, which must not be missed by anyone. Just go and grab your seat, I assure it will keep you on the edge of it for one hour and a half and will be engraved in your heart long afterwards.

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).

This translates to MUST-SEE! It's a credulous incredible storytelling of a young brother and sister in Tehran, and the adventurous saga around one very important pair of sneakers.

The two young actors are amazing -- they play their guileless naïve sensitivity with such earnestness! Central character, Ali, the 9 year old brother, is Mir Farrokh Hashemian, who really carried the film with his legwork, and the younger sister Zahra is Bahareh Seddiqui, who contributed her restrained share of screen presence. The pair is so natural: those furrowed faces, anxious knitted brows -- the range of sad faces the two came up with! The bond between the brother and sister is so warm and joyful - in spite of misfortunes.

The storyline is seemingly simple. Such story-weaving knack writer-director Majid Majidi has -- he can make chasing along a streaming gutter into an intense dramatic episode! The story has the texture likened to a Thomas Hardy novel (poverty setting, episode after episode, turn of events), yet such a relishingly simple delivery. He doesn't have to tell it all on the screen -- little nuances and observations suffice.

It's heartening to see young children who are polite and respectful to their elders, responsible and caring in dealing with their everyday problems, and not give up -- such quiet fortitude in spite of disappointments, such tolerance of their circumstance yet still able to find joy in little things. We catch a smile here and there, e.g., when they enjoy the impromptu soap bubbles, or when he encouraged his sister by giving her small tokens.

This is an absolute gem of a family (value) film. Children's emotions untapped, yet adults are not left out -- touches of grown-up connections: the parents, the elderly couple next door, the shop-owners, all made this world very real.

The camerawork, and the well-designed use of sound mixed with accompanying music (different tonal quality instruments were applied) complemented this cinematic experience. A poetic ending -- there's a serenity about it all.

I hope "Children of Heaven" will win this year's 71st Academy Award Best Foreign Film Oscar -- it will receive its due exposure and more people will experience this gem.

Along the lines of poverty and shoes, I thought of the Italian 1978's "The Tree of the Wooden Clogs" by writer-director Ermanno Olmi. And, on a story with substance and good acting by an Iranian young boy, there's 1989's "Bashu, The Little Stranger", by writer-director Bahram Beizai. Both are movies to be appreciated.

Majid Majidi is a genius. He is a director and actor of great talent. This film presents a sweet story of a brother and sister, their bond and their unique solution to solving the problem of a pair of lost shoes. The child actors are adorable and utterly convincing and the production of the film is of such quality that you get lost in watching it. The story itself is humorous, at times, and inspiring. Though the premise may be simple, each scene is infused with such passion, beauty and emotion that the experience of viewing this film is anything but simple. To all who have yet to view the film, take note of the very last scene.

Finally I've gotten my hands on a copy of Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven (not illegally of course, but from the library's collection), and have set aside some time to viewing this much talked about masterpiece. And I couldn't agree more that the film is of great quality. I've often selected titles for my pop to view since he's retired, and have gotten a call from him during a working day that I MUST watch this film. Of course I had to clarify that Jack Neo's Homerun is an adaptation of it, given that he found some similarities in plot, but I must say, any movie is worth its salt if it can move my pops.

There are so many things I like about Children of Heaven, and basically, the children Ali (Amir Farrokh Hashemian) and Zahra (Bahare Seddiqi) who play the siblings, will definitely tug at your heartstrings with their innocence. The story goes that Ali happened to lose his sister's shoes during an errand run, and coming from a poor family, that spells disaster. Not wanting to be punished for it, given that both understand the predicament they're in, and not wanting to trouble their parents with yet another expenditure, they devise an ingenious, somewhat mad hat plan, to share their shoes - Zahra goes to school in Ali's, before running back to exchange them so that Ali could attend his classes. And this leads to many comical moments and accidental scenes that will surely make you go "awww", culminating in an exhilarating foot race which will put you on the edge of your seat.

But the skill here that Majid Majidi possess, is not to sledgehammer these emotions down your throat. Children of Heaven doesn't need to, but has in itself this magic that comes forth through its simple yet meaningful story, and through the strength of both children's acting. I was pretty amazed that both Amir and Bahare have this very charming and natural charisma in fleshing out their characters, their banter being excellent, and at times, without a need for words. Truly, they are the stars of this film, and their abilities will put some established big name actors to shame too. Majid Majidi has created characters that endear, but yet not out- of-reach fictional, as they are easily identifiable given that hey, these are the kind of sibling love, or blood being thicker than water, that almost everyone would have experience, or heard about.

Being my first Majid Majidi movie, I'm definitely piqued to want to watch a whole lot more of his films. The movie has superb production values, and like any other foreign movie, opened my eyes to the cultural and physical landscapes of countries that I've yet to visit. What I liked about it also is its showcase of the family, how both Ali and Zahra show this strength in maturity with their helping around the house, and being sensible, well-liked kids. It justifies the number of awards that it has won in festivals everywhere, and if you haven't watch this, please do. It's definitely highly recommended stuff!

Ali has a problem. He has just lost the prized pair of shoes of his sister, Zahra. He tries to find them but to no avail. Now he and Zahra have to share shoes at school, a situation which causes all sorts of problems. Ali comes up with other plans to get Zahra a pair of shoes. Meanwhile, Zahra thinks she may have tracked down the new owner of her shoes.

Sweet movie from Iran. The spin-off events from the loss of the shoes and the adventures of the kids are quite entertaining. Also a great, warmth-filled reminder of life's simple pleasures and how things which may seem unimportant to one person in one culture and/or socio- economic sphere can be vitally important to someone with different circumstances.

Not particularly profound though. The movie doesn't really come up with much in the way of profundities or even a powerful conclusion (in fact, the conclusion is fairly weak). It's a simple, linear story with very few frills or great twists, told engagingly and with great warmth.

The movie was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1999 Oscars, losing out in the end to Life is Beautiful.

I find it most difficult and awkward to make comment on films that I personally do not like. That is why I could talk for days about this wonderful Oscar Submission!

Children Of Heaven is one of those rare films that not only I want to talk about, but everyone else who has seen it seems to be raving about. This tender and triumphant little jewel of a film had every head turning at the recent 1999 Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival, January 7th-18th. After it's first showing at the festival, people were indeed talking!

"Did you see that film from Iran?" "No, any good?" "Just wait, go see it, we'll talk later!"

The Children Of Heaven follows the relationship between an impoverished brother and sister, Ali and Zahra, who are thrust into a difficult circumstance all revolving around a pair of sneakers. How they choose to solve their problem themselves, without telling their parents, is what makes the story so heart-warming and unique. What follows is a tender, moving tale of compassion, determination, and deep family love.

Bravo writer/director Majid Majidi!

this movie is one of the best movie i have ever see in my life...it was beautiful, it was well directed and the camera movements were pretty good, its just a small story with a big adventure, this movie shows love, happiness, and the poor people lives in Iran can't even afford to buy a pair of shoe..its a great movie...this whole movie is about the kid who lost the pair of shoes when he kept the shoe outside the store and the garbage man picks it up with all the other garbages, without knowing what to do, brother and sister lies to their mom and dad. the brother struggles so bad to get the shoe back somehow

for her sister, so she wouldn't be ashamed and hide her shoe before her friends.this movie is beautifully directed and it

should be rewarded 8.6/10.

This movie is amazing. Every character is fully dimensional, which is a rarity and it's a smart trick to keep the audience fully involved throughout. Majidi does this with our young protagonist and his sister, and he does this, amazingly, with those with smaller roles. His technique for making the kids speak volumes (tho they are obviously not "trained & accomplished" actors) is the use of their facial expressions, Parviz Malekzaade's attractive cinematography, and the musical score. What captivated me most about the film was that the story was told so well. It's hard to find a good story teller, and it seems that we can trust Majidi with this. The story is of a boy and his sister struggling with diffrent problems, but they become each others saviors. I can't think of ONE person who would dislike this wonderful gem.

This is one of the most touching movies I have ever seen so far. It has to be seen by everyone, who wants great cinema with great messages. Nowadays there are very few films which combine these two.

You should watch this beautiful example of modern cinema with your whole family (especially with your children) and not only once, because it will change your view on life, on property, on family and on friendship! This is the first movie by Majid Majidi I watched. Therefore I can't say anything about other films he has made, but I can say this about "The Children of Heaven:

"Mr. Majid Majidi Thank You very much for this masterpiece of cinema!"

Children of Heaven with a simple humor and simple actors, show us the hard life of two siblings and their family, the importance of a single pair of shoes, the concern for the economic situation of the family and the affection between the two children that it's shown when the boy removes sky and earth, so his sister can have a pair of shoes. Really beautiful and well done movie.

I am not able contain myself from commenting on this master-piece. My vocabulary fails me to praise this movie. The performance of Ali and his sister is unprecedented....marvelous....fabulous.....(English is a poor language!!). I could not shake of Ali's image from my memory for long.....the scenes that stands out are: When he informs his sister that he has lost her shoes....When he pleads for pardon from his school headmaster when he is found coming late to the school (because his sister comes late from her school to deliver the shoes)....and Ali pleads with his PT master to include his name for the running race... On the whole Majid Majidi has given a master piece to the world cinema. Kudos to the director and the cast. Note: Don't wait for an opportunity to watch this film......run to the near by VCD store, buy one and see it right now. What are you waiting for.....RUN.

Nobody like Majid Majidi has recreated poverty and suffering of millions of people all over the world. His films show in a very natural, but dramatic way how poverty and culture and domination, both work together to cause social pain.

He is a genius in the way he shows peoples feelings.

The flower pot in the kitchen of the film Baran shows a clear example of his enormous power to show feelings.

I hope the people in the industrialized countries learn more about other countries and poverty and suffering through films like this one.

The color of Paradise is also a master piece of art.

This is my favorite movie because no movie was able to touch my heart as this movie did.This is the best children movie ever made.I had seen it four year ago in television and after this i have seen it about 10 times and all the time i found it amazing.

this movie is for family viewing and nothing is negative in the movie, but on the other side itis a very realistic movie.

The best part of movie is it simplicity,even Hollywood should not be able to reach such level of film making. every character of the movie is very well portrait.the plot of the story was so simple and beautiful and very hearttouching.

this movie is a masterpiece and should be in IMDB250.

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.

In a sea of beautiful masterpieces from Iran, somehow this piece of drek got snapped up for the kind of distribution and attention that dozens of other films deserved. It's the cliched story of a poor brother and sister who have to get by with one pair of beat-up old shoes between them. Direct references to Bicycle Thieves abound.

Samira Makhmalbaf's The Apple, one of the greatest films of modern cinema, is still unavailable on video and has been seen by almost no one in the states. Until Kiarostami won the Palme D'Or for Taste of Cherry, his films were only seen by a handful of lucky individuals who made it to the right film festivals. Samira's father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, whose films make it to theaters but never with too much attention, and other great artists like Bahram Bayzai and Daryush Mehrju'i, are overshadowed in America, somehow, by Majidi. Despite having made what might be the most significant Iranian film in history, The Cow - shown at Venice in the early 70's and introducing the country's cinema to the world - Mehrju'i and Bayzai - considered to be their best by the Iranians themselves - collectively have fewer films available on video than does Majidi, in his relatively young career.

Children of Heaven is the only Iranian film that I have seen which seems artificial. The performances are not good, the plot seems hackneyed and contrived, and it's sentimental - there's lot of crying and yelling. The children aren't real people, but little angels beset upon by this harsh life. The little boy hero is even the best student in his class AND a great athlete.

Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon and Abbas Kiarostami's Where Is The Friend's Home are both very similar storywise, but infinitely more touching, substantial and genuine.

This is the great movie I never saw before, which is directed by Iran ppl. probably I did't see more Iran movie cos I am fresh movie fan. And I believe that I should pay close attention to this country and her culture in the future! I am strong interest in this kind of movie, such as PEACOCK (chinese movie, is great as well). The whole story is focus on one pair of lost shoe, which belongs to Ali's little sister. All people is so kind that I can't help to cry almost! when Ali and his sister found the lost shoes eventually, wore on other schoolmate girl's foot, they traced her and found the truth! she is a poor girl as well. Then both of them never say anything and go back to home! what is a moving scene! I addict to this kind of movie, such as PEACOCK, which is made by China. I recommend that all fans should take a look this movie. And you can understand well what's happening at that years in China. I heard the director's name-Majid Majidi. I thought he did other good movie cos I never got chance to investigate on the internet! I want to write my feeling and comments on the IMDb first!

Every time I watch an Iranian film I am amazed, it's not only Kiarostami, also Asghar Farhadi and Majid Majidi delight us with that special taste of simplicity and beauty. This film is so simple, the conflict is so childish, the approaching is so innocent that you find yourself sharing the anguish the little characters have to deal with, even when the problem is not such a big one. If you side this with a superb photography work and with the great work of all the actors involved (How he managed to reveal such natural emotions on those kids???) what you get is a genuine piece of charming cinema, with images and emotions that will follow you long after the film has concluded. Watch this film if interested on how other cultures face day-to-day, and how children see the environment they're surrounded by. Simply beautiful.

I just saw Children of Heavens with my friends. The story line is simple but adorable. The plot revolves around Ali and his younger sister, Zahra. Ali just lost Zahra's shoe and the two find a solution of wearing Ali's snicker to go to school. Since their family is poor, both of them didn't want their father to find out about the lost shoe and try their best to keep it a secret. Zahra would run home from the morning school in the afternoon to give Ali his snicker so he can go to school. When a race was on, Ali entered the race when he saw the third prize: a pair of snicker. The story end with a heart wrenching, deep family values between Zahra and Ali.

This is just one of the many excellent movies that came out of Iran in recent years. Again the story is simple but poignant. Again the amateur actors do a wonderful job in their role. This is truly a movie that's enjoyable from beginning to end.

Out of 100, I gave it 89.

Neo-realism was the school of cinema developed by the Italians just after World War II. From 1945 to approximately 1954, directors like De Sica, Rossellini and Zampa delivered masterpieces like Open City, Paisan, To Live in Peace, Shoe Shine, The Bicycle Thief, Umberto D and Miracle in Milan. But the Italian (not the World) audiences got tired of seeing poverty and everyday problems and demanded something more sophisticated. Federico Fellini added imagination to the down-to-earth themes of Neo-realism and gave the world a new concept of cinema. Neo-realism, it was said, was proper to poor, not to wealthy cinematic industries. It this was son, Iranian Director Majid Majidi accepted the challenge, and has made Children of Heaven, the most moving and perfect piece of neo-realism that has been filmed outside of Italy. The story is much like that of The Bicycle Thieves: it's a pair of shoes that are stolen. But Majidi has provided us with the most wonderful performances from children that the screen has ever seen. A great story, magnificent color and camera work,perfect actors both children and adult, and a firm direction that never misses an opportunity to engage and captivate the audience. I have never seen a better motion picture from that part of the world.