User reviews

Enough to grab the attention of any young boy, here it's lads from Iran as a modern day Fagin encourages the innocent to dig for glory to free themselves from poverty, but all is not what it seems.

The film industry in Iran is becoming more and more noticeable over the last few years. The number of talented film-makers and actors coming from this part of the world shows a bright future for world cinema.

For director Majid Majidi, he has already shown a lot of promise with his back catalogue. As for this latest project, this one uses Iran's tough child labour as a backdrop to a moving drama.

The start sucks you into the story quite well and gives us many memorable character introductions and while the locations is within a third world environment, the brilliant cinematography gives it enough beauty to help enhance the visual story-telling side of the feature.

I was noticing a lot more emotional depth in every aspect as the film went on. The supporting cast are given a lot of nice development that help us discover some other topics the film is trying to cover. The story also covers education as well as Iran and Afghanistan relations, which I felt was executed rather well.

In the final act, we see the film pretty much turn into a tragedy and while the climax did make me feel very sad, it also felt very satisfying. It showed the films message come to an emotional high and it was a clever way of portraying the exploitative nature of child labour within Iran.

It's amazing to think most of the cast were recruited from the streets of Iran. There is so much talent to witness on screen throughout its duration. Rouhollah Zamani shows wonderful emotion as the leading character and authentic childlike sympathy that makes him instantly engaging. I hope this isn't just a one-off feature for him. I also have to give props for the other notable child actors Mani Ghafouri, Seyed Mohammad Mehdi Mousavi Fard, Abolfazi Shirzad and Sharmila Shirzad who showed wonderful maturity in her character.

What I liked about it the most is the many ways you can interpret this story. A long with the aforementioned themes, the way it is shot and edited also makes it feel like a heist or prison-break film. All of this I feel gives it strong rewatchability and make it appealing to a much larger then I would have expected.

I cannot quite get the film to a level of calling it a great film. I'm not quite sure what it lacked to prevent that. But I can safely say that I really liked the film's energy, charm, sincerity and how watchable it was. It never felt afraid to tackle the issues it was raising and so you could feel the confidence in the film-making.

Don't be afraid to check this one out when it becomes available. You'll be surprised how rewarding it is.

Quoting the statistic that 152 million children in the world are forced to work to support their families, Iranian director Majid Majidi's Sun Children focuses on the street kids of Tehran - children of absent, addicted, or unemployed refugee parents, forced to sell trinkets on trains or buses, work in jobs that require manual labor or compelled to steal, transport drugs, and protect criminals from the police. No stranger to films about young people, Sun Children ("Khorshid") continues in the tradition of Majidi's films such as "Children of Heaven," and "Color of Paradise," the first two Iranian films nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Unlike today's monster heavy children's film fare, his works have a purity and innocence that allows young people to see images on the screen that have relevance to their life.

Winner of the award for best film, screenplay, and production design at the Fajr Film Festival in Iran, Sun Children is performed by non-professional actors whose real lives on Tehran's streets mirror those of the characters. While the quality of the acting does not always rise above the level of adequate, the performances do not distract from the authenticity of the screenplay or from our understanding of the festering social problems. Scored by Ramin Kousha's, the film is seen through the eyes of children led by Ali (Roohollah Zamani), a determined boy of about 12 who sleeps in the back of a tire factory, Mamad (Mahdi Mousavi), Reza (Mani Ghafouri), and Abolfazl (Abolfazl Shirzad) an Afghan refugee who, like other Afghans in Iran, is only authorized to be hired for specific jobs within his area of residence, mostly manual labor.

The film opens when Ali leads his young friends in an escape from an underground parking lot after being caught stealing hubcaps and tires from parked cars. After another chase that features jumping over rooftops, Ali is caught and brought to Heshem (Ali Nasirian, "A Hairy Tale"), the local crime boss cast in the image of Fagin, Dickens' stereotyped bogeyman in "Oliver Twist." Though expecting punishment, he is asked instead to hunt for buried treasure in the basement of the Sun School, a poor, charitable educational institution run by volunteers to help vulnerable street kids reach high school or join a local sports team.

Because of the state of the school's finances, the boys have to plead for their enrollment but find a friend in the sympathetic Vice-Principal, Mr. Rafie (Javad Ezati, "Drown"), a low-keyed fighter for underdogs who asks the administrator to make an exception on the boys' behalf. Impressed by Ali's determination for an education, Rafie is unaware of the boys' scheme to find treasure at the behest of the crime kingpin. He shows his compassion when he takes Ali and Abolfazi to bail out Abolfazi's sister Zahra (Shamila Shurzad) after her arrest for selling trinkets in the subway. On leaving, an irate Rafie breaks the jailer's nose, an action that will later lead to his arrest. Meanwhile, the school has problems of its own.

The Principal, Mr. Amani (Ali Ghabeshi), is concerned about paying the rent and rails against the increase in the prices of the food suppliers. Motivated by his desire to bring home his mother (Tannaz Tabatagaei, "Russian") from confinement in a psychiatric institution, Ali is convinced by Heshem that there is treasure hidden in water tunnels under the cemetery next door to the school and is determined to find it. Sneaking down to the basement between classes or conjuring up a stomach ache in the middle of a class, Ali brings a pick axe to tunnel through the rocks, undaunted and refusing to give up even when his friends desert him.

Claustrophobic images of Ali's distress are juxtaposed with happy children playing outside in the courtyard, calling attention to the plight of those in life who are trapped and those who can run free. As Ali moves closer to his goal, the film reaches an emotional peak with the image of the tearful Ali, struggling in the dark, damp, and dangerous conditions, desperately attempting to reach the ever elusive treasure. Sun Children has its heart in the right place and the determination of the young protagonists will touch your own heart, yet unfortunately, the film skims the surface without probing into the characters' feelings and thoughts with any depth. Unlike "Capernaum," a powerful film about street children in Lebanon, Majidi does not deal with the underlying issues in a way that delivers a lasting impact.

What is always clear, however, is this director's conviction that too many children in the world suffer from neglect and exploitation, and, in a country where censorship is an ever-present danger, has the courage to use childhood as a means of conveying the flaws that exist in his society, a familiar theme in world cinema but one that bears repeating.

A normal movie and a mediocre story that had a good subject. It had good actors and they did a good job. The ending of the film was also beautiful. But the bad point of the film was that it was neutral and without excitement. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either.

Iran's submission to the 93rd Academy Awards makes clear that the people in the US actually have a lot in common with the people of Iran. Majid Majidi's "Khorshid" ("Sun Children" in English) is about a school that helps underprivileged children, and some students who hear of treasure buried underneath the school. Meanwhile, the people running the school have to contend with paying rent. Sound familiar to the predicaments faced by millions in the US?

An impressive movie, and one that shows our common humanity (like in the US, the Iranians have to deal with a government that ignores their needs). I hope to see more movies by Majidi.

Majid Majidi is a great director. The movie is great. Choosing the characters shows the wisdom of te director. The story focuses on children from bad families and their problems. It's a time to think about it.

Majid Majidi, the director of the movie, who has been among appreciated movie makers in Iran presents a story on lives of loser children who are worker, refugee and poor. The movie is composed of amateur child actors one of whom takes the leading role.

In addition to successful plot, symbolic actual-political references embedded in the story, this movie is worth to be seen even for only brilliant acting performances of children each of whom are amateur.

The film was well directed and acted, but the story was just too much of a downer.

While a Western movie about kids digging for treasure would have a totally different premise (a la Goonies), I thought that this one might at least have a good story and maybe a slight sense of adventure. I wouldn't say that was the case at all. Everything that could go wrong does, and it's as if this movie is trying to say "life sucks and things rarely end well" rather than provide a piece of escapism for the audience.

It's more of a critic baiting piece of "realism" instead of something that might make you feel good watching it. I won't get into spoilers so I'll leave it with saying that you shouldn't go into this expecting a feel good story.

I really enjoyed it. There were times when I was laughing while my eyes were full of tears. What a brilliant performance. Definitely worth watching.

A story of a friendship like a treasure. You choose to find material treasure but you lose the real treasure near you. In this movie first you laugh then you cry.

Beautiful movie about finding the real treasure (pun intended).

Wow! This movie kept me on the edge of my seat. What a wonderful masterpiece! How this gem couldn't have been nominated for best foreign movie? Roohollah Zamani and the other kids were real actors. The expression of fear, loss, and hardship were manifested throughout the movie perfectly. I'd recommend watching this movie for everyone who is interested in knowing more about a single group in society unjustly treated. Well done Majid Majidi.

The movie depicts the reality of what is happening to the labor children and Afghan refugees in Iran. Majid Majidi shows this reality with a great plot and a selection of great actors. I felt it was so genuine because I myself have seen this kind of life and have worked in a similar school as was shown in the movie. I think the director did a great job.

They could have choosen any well-trained children but they decided to give this chance to those who truly needs to be heard and seen .

Tannaz Tabatabaei (Ali's mom) is one of the most popular actresses in my country Iran .She is so selective and doesn't accept many offers. Once she said despite her short role , she wanted to be a part of it . She wanted to help these young talents to be seen .I admire her not only as an actress but a person :)

I feel pity for Afghanistanin refugees too . They left their home for a better place but here in Iran they are facing new problems. Things are not easy for them .I wish I could do something. Sadly we are all struggling in chaos. Whish us luck :)

(Can you excuse me for possible mistakes in grammar ? I am still learning English :)

Within the movie I don't think I ever heard the name of the country these Afghan refugee children were in. Isfahan was mentioned which is in Iran. I wonder if that is a censorship issue. Also, not mentioned, why all these young boys were missing their fathers; also how they came to be in Iran.

A slightly romanticized storyline of children living on the streets with petty crime as the backdrop.

Gem of a movie, Seriously watched a good film after so many months!!! Dear Majid Majidi Sir, I'm a great fan of your works. From start to the end loved every bit of this movie and the content is 👌🏻👌🏻.