The Song of Sparrows

I've only seen but a handful of films from Majid Majidi the master Iranian filmmaker, and he continues to open my eyes to Iranian cinema with his latest The Song of Sparrows, telling the tale of a down and out of luck Karim (starring regular Reza Najie), a general worker in an ostrich farm, and the life of his family in a quaint little village. Being the perpetual loser in life, sometimes as a consequence of victimization, we follow his misadventures as a small time guy being caught up with opportunities in the big city, again being the puppet on whom Chance chooses to smile upon.

There are plenty of comedic chaos in the film which makes this quite the delight to watch. In the beginning we see how he orders a group of children around when they were treading around sludge waters in an abandoned well to find the hearing aid belonging to his daughter. Taking charge over the operations and barking orders to the kids, we discover he's not exactly that inspirational a leader even amongst kids, being devoid of clever ideas whose bark is more severe than his bite. Then comes the escape of an ostrich in the farm which he and a group of fellow workers fail to recapture, leading to his dismissal from work.

With time on his hands, he journeys to Tehran to get his daughter's damaged hearing aid fixed, though the exorbitant repair costs provides additional headache. But he stumbles upon the motorcycle taxi business in the city by accident, and discovers it pays quite handsomely. Before you can say "opportunity", he's already on to it, and in a short span of time made a lot more money than he could have imagined, meeting with a myriad of characters, and with the cash, stocking up his home with material wealth. This segment of the story was made quite enjoyable by Karim's customers, some of whom are good to him, while others seek some incredible ways to exploit.

There's a sense of measured hysteria toward the end, but I had felt it was somewhat a statement made on how the ambitions stemming from opportunity would have presented an avenue for misguided corruption, as well as the failure to see the finer things in life that mattered a lot more. The son portrays the wishes of the common folk, in wanting to seek out their interest and a better life quite off tangent with the father figure of authority, who continues to punish his son and his friends, and discouraging them from pursuing their now broken dreams, which involved quiet determination in wanting to take over and clean up a filthy water storage tank for fish rearing and profit. The patriarch figure determines and dictates what can, or cannot be done, and doesn't hesitate to use a little violence to slap his orders across.

From success to loss, the final arc was one of the most colourful, and filled with some picture perfect imagery that would leave you spellbound, especially the scene with the hundreds of goldfish flapping around in need for water. Majid Madjidi once again crafted a film that will leave you reflecting upon the layers and messages hidden behind a film which came across as deceptively simple, on one level seeking to entertain, and on another a probable commentary of life hidden underneath the simplistic veneer.

This is the story of Karim, the rural Iranian father of a deaf teen-aged daughter and two younger children. When, at the same time, he loses his job on an Ostrich ranch and his daughter loses her hearing aid right before important school exams, he heads to Tehran on his motorbike to look for work. By accident, he becomes a motorbike taxi driver and begins to make more money than he ever dreamed of. But he also begins to change as his desire for things and his ethics collide. Having promised his wife that the first priority would be to replace their daughter's hearing aid, he finds himself tempted by the material life he now has access to. Several heart breaking incidents cause him to examine what he has become. While the story/parable may be familiar, what is special is the way Majidi presents it. The dialogue is minimal letting the non-verbal actions of the characters speak for themselves as well as the great cinematography. Unlike many (not all)American films, it does not insult your intelligence with shallow dialogue and unnecessary action. Majidi really develops the characters into believable human beings. Reza Naji is great as Karim and the children in the film are so delightful and photogenic. And if you enjoy learning about and experiencing other cultures, it is a great window into Iranian culture, in this case, both rural and urban. With most of us only getting the sound bites about Iran we hear on radio or TV, this will give an insight into the real people and culture.

Majid Majidi helms "Avaze Gonjeshk-ha", a film that laments on the influence of materialistic societies and elevates pastoral romanticism. Beautifully filmed and empathetically characterized, audiences will be enchanted by little pleasures delivered, eventually snowballing to something poetically charged. Run time might be excessive, but this might just prove as nitpicking. Script lacks any sort of cynicism, a positive, as the film is nostalgic to moments of innocence. Question is, did it even exist? Picture shows it did in Majidi's universe.

First act parallels the vibe of the Argentinean produced "Bombon: El Perro". Main protagonist Karim (Mohammad Amir Naji), fired from his job as an ostrich farmer, ventures off to Tehran to earn some money and find means to upgrade a broken hearing aid desperately needed by one of his daughters. Characterization is the main motivation here, as the director lovingly sculpts Karim as a paternal character untarnished by any sort of negative, earthly influences. Not that he is uninspired by desire, but his desire is more directed to more altruistic means towards his family. Thesping by Naji is pitch perfect.

And here's where the film becomes more than it actually claims to be. Venturing off to exciting Tehran, Karim turns wide eyed, as he accidentally becomes a taxi driver. Comedy is potent here, definitely not used to degrade main protagonist though. Eventually, picture develops him into an influenced mortal showing greed and materialism. From an innocent television antenna, his backyard expands and practically becomes a junkyard. His character development transcends the screen, as every piece of junk he hogs, loss of his old self is palpable.

Directing clearly emphasizes Karim as an Adam out of Eden, banished by circumstances to a city wrapped in earthly pleasures. Cinematography plays a massive role in this recurring theme. Lensed by Turaj Mansuri, film paints Iranian countryside as fertile and effervescent whilst modern Tehran isn't exactly depicted as ruthless and evil, but more constrictive and crowded. Cityscape is painted as monotone brown, allowing the characters to paint themselves, easily using citizens to express a point. Film isn't judgmental of city living, only reminds them of what they're missing.

And that's just the first act. Next chapters' focuses on Karim's redemption from a fall from grace, events transpired that might come off normal to modern people but nonetheless, out of character to himself. His family life is placed in focus, as with Karim, audiences are allowed to comprehend (and remind main protagonist) what his old desires were. Undoubtedly contemplative and metaphorical, film guarantees a high replay value. Film strikes a cord with a visual cue on fish out of water.

Picture definitely doesn't ask much from the audience, however it's upon the audience to accept it. This will reward them though as Majidi proves himself as a rich painter of not characters, but spotless souls. As with his previous films, Majidi transfers his optimism on celluloid without much trouble. Detail here is exemplary as every facet of the production is riddled with ideas waiting to be uncovered by repeat viewings.

I have seen quite a many pieces from this Iranian Film Maker, and this one remains the top of my list. A simple story of a struggling man from rural areas, finds himself making tough choices after losing job. The point of view of this man has captured many layers of dense emotions, at some point he is a hoarder of old garage material, and also scavenges through city garbage for essentials, meanwhile evolves his life according to challenges thrown at him in midlife. A simple drama containing; family, contentment, desires, dreams and the miraculous hand of Nature behind everything. Lovely !

Majid Majidi has gone and done it again. He has crafted a simple story of a loving family man (although not without some minor flaws)who has several humbling experiences in life. Karim (played very well by Majidi regular,Mohammad Amir Naji,here known as Reza Naji)has a cushy job working at an ostrich farm,keeping watch over the king sized birds. Trouble erupts when one of the birds escapes from the pen,resulting in Karim losing his job. Good fortune happens to drop in Karim's lap when he ends up becoming a taxi driver in downtown Tehran. Other plot elements are dropped into the mix in the form of his eldest daughter,Haniyeh (Shabnam Aklaghi)who is partially deaf,loses her hearing aid,because of her younger brother,Hussein (Hamed Aghazi),who wants to start a goldfish hatchery in an unused well,who loses the hearing aid in the well/muck hole that it is. Toss in an understanding & loving wife,caring neighbors,and others,and you have yourself a loving film that is a treat for the eye & other senses. Majid Majidi directs from a screenplay written by Majidi & Mehran Kashani. The cinematography by Tooraj Mansouri successfully manages to capture the rugged Iranian landscape,with momentary bursts of colour (check out the scene of Naji carrying a blue door across the bleak desert-like landscape of the Iranian countryside,as well as some other breath taking scenes that are a treat for the eye). Rated PG by the MPAA for some brief,rude language,but contains nothing else to offend.