Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Majid Majidi

Writer:

Majid Majidi (writer)

Release Date:

22 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A Little Secret...Their Biggest Adventure

Plot:

Zohre's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zohre...

Plot Keywords:

Shoes | School | Bicycle Accident | Bubble | Blind Man

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 10 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Mohammad Amir Naji	...	Ali's Father (as Amir Naji)
Amir Farrokh Hashemian	...	Ali (as Mir Farrokh Hashemian)
Bahare Seddiqi	...	Zahra
Nafise Jafar-Mohammadi	...	Roya
Fereshte Sarabandi	...	Ali's Mother
Kamal Mirkarimi	...	Assistant (as Kamal Mir Karimi)
Behzad Rafi	...	Trainer (as Behzad Rafiee)
Dariush Mokhtari	...	Ali's Teacher
Mohammad-Hasan Hosseinian	...	Roya's Father
Masume Dair	...	Roya's Mother
Kambiz Peykarnegar	...	Race Organizer
Hasan Roohparvari	...	Race Photographer
Abbas-Ali Roomandi	...	Shoemaker
Jafar Seyfollahi	...	Green Grocer
Qolamreza Maleki	...	Salt Seller
Zahra Mirzai	...	Zahra's Teacher
Sara Zamani	...	Trainer
Mohammad Haj-Hosseini	...	Mosque Servant
Kazem Asqarpoor	...	Grand Father
Mohammad-Hossein Shahidi	...	Alireza
Seyd-Ali Hosseini	...	Ali's Friend
Haj-Ali Salimi	...	Old Man
Ahmad Mokhber	...	Mash Ramezan
Golnaz Tariqat	...	Ms. Koubab
Mash-Ebrahim Safari	...	Ali's Father's Friend
Davud Shams	...	Shoe Seller
Azade Qale Noi	...	Video Cameraman
Faramarz Safarizadeh	...	Video Cameraman
Hossein Ahamdloo	...	Photographer
Siamak Haj-Amini	...	Photographer
Soheil Haj-Amini	...	Photographer
Rahman Kharazchi	...	Referee
Jamshid Yusefi	...	Referee
Javad Kazemi	...	Referee
Mohammad Oskooi	...	Award Presenter
Reza Dehghan	...	Award Presenter
Ali Chaharian	...	Award Presenter
Amir-Ali Kazemi	...	First Runner
Navid Feyzabadi	...	Second Runner / Third Runner
Pasha Shoja Zadeh	...	Fourth Runner
Moshen Qadiri Nejad	...	Runner
Amir Hossein Tavakkoli	...	Runner
Hadi Maleki	...	Runner
Mohammad Hossein Mortavazi	...	Runner
Seyed Karym Alikhani	...	Runner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher Maleki	...	Salt Seller

Directed by
Majid Majidi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Majid Majidi		writer

Produced by
Amir Esfandiari	....	producer
Mohammad Esfandiari	....	producer

Original Music by
Keivan Jahanshahi

Cinematography by
Parviz Malekzaade

Film Editing by
Hassan Hassandoost

Production Management
Seyyed Saeed Seyedzadeh	....	production manager

Sound Department
Mohammad Reza Delpak	....	sound designer
Yadollah Najafi	....	sound recordist

Production Companies

• The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults

Distributors

• Ace Pictures (1999) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Arthaus Filmverleih
• Buena Vista International (Argentina)
• Buena Vista International (Argentina)
• Buena Vista Television (????) (USA) (TV)
• EDKO Film (Hong Kong)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Irfan Film (2009) (Turkey) (TV)
• Mars Distribution (France)
• Miramax Films (1999) (USA) (subtitled)
• New Films International
• Paris Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Children of Heaven (USA)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Iran

Language:

Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | UK:12 (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | USA:PG | Peru:PT

Filming Locations:

Tehran, Iran

Company:

The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults

Trivia:

In the English DVD version of the film, the epilogue is not translated. The epilogue explains that Ali eventually achieves the larger-scale success of having a racing career.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Eisai to tairi mou: (#1.2)" (2001)

Wholesome 100% natural cinematic staple -- well-leavened and savory!

This translates to MUST-SEE! It's a credulous incredible storytelling of a young brother and sister in Tehran, and the adventurous saga around one very important pair of sneakers.

The two young actors are amazing -- they play their guileless naïve sensitivity with such earnestness! Central character, Ali, the 9 year old brother, is Mir Farrokh Hashemian, who really carried the film with his legwork, and the younger sister Zahra is Bahareh Seddiqui, who contributed her restrained share of screen presence. The pair is so natural: those furrowed faces, anxious knitted brows -- the range of sad faces the two came up with! The bond between the brother and sister is so warm and joyful - in spite of misfortunes.

The storyline is seemingly simple. Such story-weaving knack writer-director Majid Majidi has -- he can make chasing along a streaming gutter into an intense dramatic episode! The story has the texture likened to a Thomas Hardy novel (poverty setting, episode after episode, turn of events), yet such a relishingly simple delivery. He doesn't have to tell it all on the screen -- little nuances and observations suffice.

It's heartening to see young children who are polite and respectful to their elders, responsible and caring in dealing with their everyday problems, and not give up -- such quiet fortitude in spite of disappointments, such tolerance of their circumstance yet still able to find joy in little things. We catch a smile here and there, e.g., when they enjoy the impromptu soap bubbles, or when he encouraged his sister by giving her small tokens.

This is an absolute gem of a family (value) film. Children's emotions untapped, yet adults are not left out -- touches of grown-up connections: the parents, the elderly couple next door, the shop-owners, all made this world very real.

The camerawork, and the well-designed use of sound mixed with accompanying music (different tonal quality instruments were applied) complemented this cinematic experience. A poetic ending -- there's a serenity about it all.

I hope "Children of Heaven" will win this year's 71st Academy Award Best Foreign Film Oscar -- it will receive its due exposure and more people will experience this gem.

Along the lines of poverty and shoes, I thought of the Italian 1978's "The Tree of the Wooden Clogs" by writer-director Ermanno Olmi. And, on a story with substance and good acting by an Iranian young boy, there's 1989's "Bashu, The Little Stranger", by writer-director Bahram Beizai. Both are movies to be appreciated.