Iran Persia Children Heaven

Children of Heaven

One of the defining elements of Children of Heaven is the bond between siblings. Ali and Zahara are close enough in age to form a strong relationship that allows them to address the multifaceted problem of the missing shoes. The problem is multifaceted because they know their parents cannot afford new shoes, and to lose her shoes would hurt the parents' pride. Zahara and Ali work together, rather than fighting each other, which is remarkable aspect of their young personalities. Many siblings never would have worked together in this way. Instead of telling the parents what happened, Zahara works with Ali because she trusts him. Ultimately, they succeed in hiding the truth from their parents even if it makes their lives at school difficult. The missing shoes motivate both Ali and Zahara to think creatively throughout the film. First they decide to share the same pair of shoes, then they track down the shoes but lose them again, and finally Ali enters the race in order win a new pair. The actions demonstrate perseverance and creativity.

2. Zahara's first reaction to the missing shoes is touching. She could have immediately told on Ali, and she even threatens to do so unless Ali can come up with a creative solution. As they pass notes together on the floor, the father looks on suspiciously. The children create their own pact, separate from their parents. Using the clever method of note writing, they conspire to share shoes. Zahara is not completely happy with the solution, but she trusts her brother. Ali feels terrible that he lost the shoes and is willing to do what it takes to make up for the error. They understand together that it would not solve anything to tell their parents. The shoes are already lost, and they need to come up with a solution that will prevent them from getting into more trouble. This scene has an emotional impact on me in the tender way the brother and sister learn to bond in a time of need.

3. There are several elements that make it possible to compare Children of Heaven to The Bicycle Thief. For one, a bicycle features at the end of Children of Heaven as it carries a pair of pink shoes. This could even be a deliberate and conscious allusion to 1948 The Bicycle Thief on the part of the filmmakers given the movies share much in common. Elements that the two films share in common include featuring a poor family at the center of the story; the use of creative thinking to solve real world problems; and the theme of personal pride especially as it relates to masculinity. Both Antonio and Ali share in common a desire to redeem their poverty as a matter of personal pride. They understand the need to break some social rules and norms in order to help those they love.