Film Journal:Children of Heaven

October had been a good movie month for me-I got many giants underway-Requiem for a dream(Darren Aronofsky),Trainspotting(Danny Boyle-hard to believe the same guy made Slumdog Millionaire,ugh),Diving bell and the butterfly(Julian Schnabel),Melissa P.(Luca Guadagnino),Sunshine(Danny Boyle again)-and I'm glad I started off November with something to reckon with.

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Majid-Majidi's Children of Heaven is my virgin foray into the delectable territory of Iranian cinema.This is the story of a delicately concrete relationship between an impoverished brother and sisterAli- and Zahra.Ali on the way back from his errands loses his sisters only pair of shoes  that is shown to be mended in an engaging clockwork of detail in the very first scene.The boy knows that his father would only have enough to cough up the rent and provide for the family when the month ends and another one begins.There would be no magic beans in a pot-and so the children work out a routine that seemed shakily convenient-Zahra,wears Ali's overlarge sneakers to her morning school and mid way back home she exchanges it with her brother who then,for the life of him runs to class.I've never had the luxury of inadequacy to teach me things-turns out when you have the gift of innocence-you need not cross that river.Majidi does not glorify childhood-he presents it as is-with it's little glories and predicaments.For me it was a savoury trip back to the good ol' days when a shiny new pen,blowing the perfect bubble lights up your world and the worry lines that form on your too-young forehead when the sneakers get wet and dirty before school knocks your knees together.
Majidi cups innocence in his hands and holds it out to us and peace is thus a shoal of fish scuffling away at the sores on your feet.He lets baroque take a backseat and lets the candor of expressions speak volumes-much like letting a jalebi drift in hot oil-you know where it'll go,it knows where to go.Simply put,the simplicity of the whole movie blew me away.Definitely worth a watch.