2627 Movie Recommendation

Monday, October 19, 2009

It matters not what you call me,
but what I answer to.
-- African Proverb--

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I watched a wonderful little movie on DVD this afternoon, a 1997 Iranian movie about a brother and sister, and shoes.  "Children of Heaven" is the title (but there must be something lost in translation, because I don't "get" the title).  It's in Farsi with English subtitles.

The brother accidentally loses the sister's shoes.  They know their family is too poor to buy her another pair.  Luckily, girls have school in the morning, and boys in the afternoon, so they decide to keep the loss a secret, and arrange to share his shoes.  And then things get complicated.  Very complicated.

There are various synopses and reviews online, but none of them even mention some of the most charming parts.  It won several international awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best international film in 1999.

Rent it, or buy it from Amazon (cheap!), or watch it for free online in two parts at
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=2085360636693346701&hl=en&autoplay=1, Part 1
and
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=1568263933309969077&hl=en&autoplay=1, Part 2.

The latter option, although free and safe, is not the best - it's not as sharp an image.  Note - at the end, when we see the father's laden bike, notice what's tucked in the back.  If you watch it online, you'll have to be ready for it and look carefully.  It's a small glimpse.
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