'Children of Heaven' is quite sad in parts, though it ends up being rather wholesome in actuality. This 1997 flick features a simple premise but one that doesn't fail to draw at the heartstrings, I was immediately hooked into caring as soon as the youngsters appeared. Amir Farrokh Hashemian is brilliant as Ali. I'm not one to feel overly emotional when watching fictional things, but I actually felt sad whenever the kid was sad... even when he was teary eyed, the little fella almost got me too! Bahare Seddiqi is also extremely sweet as Zahra. Reza Naji is the best of the adults, I enjoyed his character. That scene with Ali at the gate buzzer is real nice. Other positives are the locations, cinematography and score - all of which I appreciated. I don't hold any negatives, in fact. A great introduction to Iranian cinema for me.

This movie is so memorable, I still remember watching it when I was in elementary and now watching it again feels like the old days. The way he is trying to get 3rd place, his sad because he failed to get the shoe prize, and crying while taking pictures is so painful. I upgraded for the rating.

There honestly is nothing to remark on the way this is shot. It flows incredibly naturally and there's not a single shot that is wasted. It has the perfect runtime and the story beats are on point. The two child actors, combined with the solid filmmaking makes this a movie that works really well. With a simple, but poignant story of family, it shows you the experience through the eyes of the children and how they deal with their own problems and what they find important. Especially Ali is a very soulful character, putting his sister in the first place even if it means he has to suffer the consequences of those actions. Really delightful.

I must have had this confused with something else because I thought I had seen it. But no, I definitely hadn't. And I wish I had seen it sooner because it is good. Simple and affecting. Almost had me in tears at certain moments. The little girl chasing the sneaker floating down the gutter etc. That was the first half at least. After than it started to become less and less interesting when the story became less and less interesting. I've seen a fair few Iranian films and there are some great ones. But I had never seen anything by the director of this, Majid Majidi. Although this was a mixed bag, he is certainly a talented director and i shall take a look at a few more of his films in due course.

It was an emotional bliss.