Hi guys. I hope those of you who stuck around and watched Children of Heaven enjoyed it. (Who else totally hated that kid who pushed down the main character during the race?)
Much like the previous Persepolis post, I want to know what you thought about this film and its themes. How does it connect to some of the themes we have spoken about in class? For some of you that had little contact with Iranian culture before, what are you taking away from this film? Once again, no plot summary guys.
-Amir
10 comments:
Although many people think that this movie was very sad, I think it is one of the most touching films I have seen. The film was truly a reflection of many common Iranian people and the struggles they are faced with. To think that such a insignificant and minute thing to us, a pair of shoes, could mean the world to others, really puts things into perspective.
One part of the film in particular was pretty bothersome to me - when the main character and his father solicited gardening services. The neighborhood that they went to was so extremely different from where they were from. It illustrated how there is such a huge discrepancy in how and where people live, and just a huge discrepancy between the rich and the poor. This is what I feel is so sad about the movie and about the country. This definitely reflects back upon how the country is being run, and clearly indicates one major problem that the country needs to focus attention on and hopefully one day change.
Wow. I saw this film when it first came out (1997) and hated it. But I was 8. Having just seen it, my opinion has changed drastically. As with the commenter above I liked how the film focused on a very specific, single aspect, the lost shoes, and managed create an entire plot based around them and the ramifications that one would never consider. The viewer got a look at all different classes of Iranian society based on that simple necessity, which was emphasized by the way the camera lingered on the different types of shoes.
Another aspect I found interesting was the relationship between Ali and Zahra's (sp?) parents, especially the mother's altercation with the landlord and the ensuing altercation with her husband. When she discusses the matter with her husband, instead of offering her any consolation, he blames her for talking to him at all, especially without a male presence there to defend her, since her role in society doesn't allow her to make that defense on her own. However, in comparison, Ali treats Zahra like an equal, which is another nice aspect about the film: it balances social commentary with real human relationships.
The race itself (I really liked how the movie randomly switched to Chariots of Fire for kids in the last ten minutes) also adds another level of commentary to the film, this time concerning the bureaucratic national events planned by the government. The film focuses on the wealthy competitors in their designer athletic wear who participate in the event, whereas Ali, who actually competes for a reason, ends up getting a holiday break from his success, rather than an actual necessity. And then is hailed by various suited bureaucrats while his coach and principal try and edge into his photos.
Clearly the film displayed the large gap between the rich and poor in Iran, particularly during the scene in which Ali's dad did gardening work in the city. But the same time, it is interesting that the director would choose to make Ali and Zahra's family so religious. In fact, their father makes the sugar cubes for the tea served at Friday prayers, and is thus directly involved in religious activities and services.
I think an intriguing question is: Why did the director do this? After all, the affluent city-dwellers are not overtly religious--in fact, the degree of their devotion is fairly ambiguous. Perhaps he was trying to criticize the claim made by proponents of the Islamic Republic that such a republic would result in a more equitable and harmonious society than that of western-style democracies. Often, these proponents argue that western-democracy is centered upon self-interested atomization that creates selfishness and rampant inequality. They also often argue that the fact that Islam espouses charity and alms-giving precludes the selfishness and inequality that plagues the west. But perhaps the director of this film is challenging that view.
I also really enjoyed this movie and found it to be very touching. It is amazing all of the obstacles that the children are faced with as the result of one lost shoe. Like the other posters mentioned, the movie reflects a lot about class and class distinctions in Iran. This was probably most evident through the scene where Ali and his father are trying to get a gardening job in the rich neighborhood, but it also comes through in other scenes. One part that struck me was the scene where Zhara sees that the girl from her school is wearing her old shoes, and she later finds out that she throws them away when her father buys her a new pair. The girl tells her that her father buys her something whenever she gets a good grade. For Zhara and Ali, shoes are a necessity, and they have to overcome many obstacles because of the lost shoe. Their family simply does not have the money to buy a new pair of shoes, whereas this other girl's family just throws out the old shoes like trash. For Zhara, those same shoes mean the world.
The movie also showed a lot about family dynamics. A lot seems to be expected of the children, and they have definite responsibilities in the home, from doing errands to pouring their father tea. Family seems to be very important. Whenever Ali's friends want him to play soccer, he says that he can't because his mother is ill. It seems that it must be a legitimate excuse to use. Ali also seems to have a close, caring bond with his sister. Again, I really enjoyed this movie, and although it was touching and at times sad, I think that it ended on a hopeful note.
I had very little contact with anything Iranian until this semester. This movie has showed me a side of Iran that one cannot learn about in history books. The movie portrayed life in Iran through the eyes of a little kid and the struggles he faces.
Through the movie, especially during the gardening scene in the city, I was able to see the class division clearly. While there are people going through a lot just to get a pair of shoes, others live in gated villas and enjoy material luxury.
The movie also showed showed different aspects of Iranian culture such as family structure and relations. The father was seen as the one responsible for providing food for the family. The little girl would help the mother with preparing food and taking care of the baby. I was also able to see the Ta'arof in Iranian culture through offering food to the old and sick neighbors, and even "pretending" to refuse money after the gardening services were offered. The father took the money only after the old man insisted on it.
Lastly, The movie portrayed daily life under the Islamic Republic through having separate schools for boys and girls, and having even little girls wear head scarfs while in school.
The film did an excellent job of illustrating the life of a lower class family in Iran. News footage and readings only show a top down, broad view of conditions in Iran, so it was really helpful to see something from a family's perspective in a relatively poor area of Iran.
The family has to deal with things most families in the US never even have to think about -- how they will buy shoes and other basic necessities. It's especially tough to see kids that have to grow up and take on such incredible burdens so quickly.
We also got a glimpse of classes in Iran. In the wealthy neighborhood, we saw opulence in a setting that looked like something out of 90210. In the poorer area, we saw religious devotion, a tremendous respect for parents and authority figures, gender divide, etc. The two areas seemed like entirely different countries. I think the poorer area is closer to the common American perception of Iran.
I completely agree with Sam that this is one of the most poignant films i have watched. At first I felt a little ambivalent about the ending (I would've really liked to see him actually get the shoes!), I see how the movie portrays well the class diferences in Iran and how a bike ride can seperate the third world from the first. The film provided for me a first glance of what Iran is really like (I had never even seen pictures before), so that was really valuable to me.
In my opinion, this movie is a great movie in which the wide gap between the rich and poor is displayed in very interesting fashion. As I watched this movie, I get a very sad feeling that how my fellow countrymen after having 2500 years of history, culture, and civilization still live with such socio dynamics and hierarchy.
There has been many movements in Iranian history which sought to bring justice, equality, and freedom to the people. I wonder how could it be that after 2500 years my people still live with such struggle.
This movie not only makes me thing of failures and mistakes of our leaders in the past but also people's failures to overcome this struggle of division. As I read about Iran's history and as discussed in our class, the only time that Iran has come close to or has achieved a fundamental changes is when people unite under the same belief and class divisions and the hierarchy is marginalized with the notion of nationalism. Constitutional revolution of 1908, Nationalization of oil in 1952, and even the 1979 revolution have all been successful when the clergy, the artisans (bazzaris), and the intellectuals have all joined forces as one with Iran's broader population. Other religious groups had also joined and taken part in these movements which tells me that when Iranians united under the name of Iran for justice, liberty, equality, and freedom they achieved great things.
My hope is after watching this movie that Iranians around the world come together to unite to help one another and take pride of their sense of nationalism to create a better society.
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Here's my thought regarding the movie:
We sometimes think that life is so sad, but actually it's not. If you have pure intention and good ehart, no matter how hard life is, there is still waiting something better for us. Like in the case of Ali, we may think that the movie end sad, but actually, not, it's a happy ending for me. why? because first and foremost, Ali won the race and the price he got is more than the sneaker that he is aspiring for. Second-when you got to notice, Ali's father just came from the store and it was focused on the video that it is indeed a shoes not only for Zahra but for Ali. So, that means they both have new shoes. It just look sad because the movie didn't come to the point that the father gave the shoes to them.
And one more thing. I noticed everytime Ali drinks water, something good happen. The first time he drunk water is when they are in a subdivision searching for gardening service. They almost lost hope, but after he drunk water in the faucet, somebody called them back to do the gardening and they went home with a lot of mone.
Second time I saw Ali drunk water is when he shared the good news to Zahra regarding the race, he just passed the elimination that time.
And the third time he drunk water is on the last scene of the movie. What's the good news? Well, he won the race and their father is on the way home bringing their new shoes.
What's the implication of drinking water? Any idea?
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