The Runner

A deeply humanistic story that may remind you of the works of Kiarostami or De Sica, centered on an orphan living on the streets of a port city in Iran. We never know what happened to the boy's parents, we just see him making money by doing odd jobs like collecting bottles in the ocean, selling ice water, and shining shoes. There is obviously hardship, but he also has time to be a kid and do things like ride bikes with his ragtag group of friends. We also see his interest in planes and boats, his desire to go places for adventure, and his enrolling in a school to learn to read. Never once does he moan about his fate.

The cinematography is wonderful, doubly impressive given the impoverished conditions. Director Amir Naderi is also masterful in getting us invested in this boy, and the moments of fighting or when he's cheated are keenly felt. We see that life is a battle, but probably more importantly, we see critical moments of compassion, and that's at the heart of what otherwise could have been a very grim affair. There are moments where the boy needs to stand up for himself and fight (e.g. With the drunken foreigner who accuses him of stealing), times he has to run (e.g. With the guy trying to steal his block of ice), and times when he's empathetic to others (e.g. With the friend struggling at the end of a race). It's also story of resilience, and one gets the feeling that this kid is going to be a success despite where he's coming from. Imagine my surprise when I found this was autobiographical. I guess he did end up making it!

An excellent film. An auto biography of the director. The first film that brought the Iranian cinema to the attention of the world. In 1991, when it was shown in Washington DC, the Washington Post wrote of Amir Naderi "the best unknown filmmaker in the world."

If it's true that environment determines character then young Amiro must be something of a hero for having survived so well against such overwhelming odds. Orphaned and illiterate, he wanders the desolate waterfront of a nameless Iranian city, living each day on whatever loose change he can honestly acquire: selling ice water, shining shoes, or foraging for empty bottles at low tide (while oil-laden tankers line the distant horizon).

But the poverty of his surroundings can't dim the dignity of his spirit, in much the same way that the unflinching honesty of the film helps to give it an often exhilarating power. What passes for a storyline is closer in spirit to a cultural documentary, pieced together from several swift, abbreviated episodes leading to the final, profound image of Amiro exultant, holding aloft a large block of ice (the goal of one of his many running 'competitions') while the controlled fires of a nearby oil field rage in the background.

Director Amir Nader was fortunate to cast in the title role a young boy whose face betrays every emotion, from exuberance to heartbreak, and communicates his thoughts independent of the sometimes illegible English subtitles. In its own quiet way it's a stunning film, and a rare, rewarding glimpse of daily life in a little understood part of the world.

The Runner was perhaps the first of the post-revolution Iranian films to attract worldwide attention, ... and very deservedly so. It set the tone for many of the films which followed: realism, child's eye perspective of the world, innocence, gentleness, set in poor neighbourhoods, exposing great disparities in wealth, resting much of the film on the shoulders of one young actor, using children's lives as analogies for (or explicit expositions of) the problems of the adult world.

Majid Niroumand (Amiro) carries the film and is mesmerizing to watch. Amir Naderi was a famous director in pre-revolution Iran and was best known, if I'm not mistaken, for Tangseer (Tangsir). I've heard that this was the first in, what has been referred to as, "the Amiro trilogy". I would be very interested in finding out about the other two films.

This film still remains as my personal favourite.

I borrowed this one at the local library, and was impressed by it.

It is about a kid living alone on an shored boat. He makes his living by shining shoes, selling cold water to the dock workers. And he and his friends play games like seeing who can run the longest behind the train. The kid in this movie has a powerful will and passion for life.

He turns up at the local school, begging the teacher to let him join class. He says he will do whatever it takes. So he gets the opportunity to learn to read, and does this with passion. He is smart and it all makes a very powerful movie. This little boy had God inside.