The Song of Sparrows

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.

I don't know if this movie is considered a comedy, but soooo many funny things happen it's hilarious from start to finish. The main thing that comes to mind is murphy's law (if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all; or, if anything can go wrong, it will.) I also really enjoyed seeing the Iranian landscape and their way of life. Everything that can be used or fixed is utilized. This movie is serious, funny, heartwarming, and good clean family type of entertainment. I thought the acting was great, and the characters endearing. This has got to be one of the best foreign films I've seen. Best thing since Slumdog Millionaire. Too bad it wasn't in English, but than maybe that added to the overall sense of the movie.

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.

No big drama, no intense car chase, no sex-laden imagery. Yet the film tugs. It has a compelling draw. It has all the simplicity of making a living, raising kids, living life. And then there are moments which confront complexity, where dreams and desires crash against life's harshness. Letting go an easy but corrupt deal which could pay for the daughter's hearing aid, being able to break into a song after the kids have witnessed their long-cherished plan choke on itself. The camera captures some poetry – of blue doors, sweeping vistas with ostriches, and landscapes which come alive from a kid's loving scrawl to full bloom. Did you know the pleasure of being on a breezy rooftop with your wife while the kids watch TV late in the evening? For such and many other life's precious moments, this film is a must watch.

Another movie that played at the Berlin Film Festival, this low-key drama has a very human side to it. The actors (some of which were also in Germany for the premiere and seem as down to earth, as the roles they played in this movie) are really good and have a simplicity to them that is very gorgeous.

The characters are very down to earth and the story itself or let's say it's pace, might remind people of classic movies such as "Bicycle Thieves" (kind of neo-realism, if you want to call it that). If you don't have a problem with that, then you will enjoy this movie as much as the audience in Berlin did (including myself) :o)