creative expressions in films

.....hottest topic on the lips of film lovers around the world right now is Iranian Cinema, which has Majid Majidi as one of its biggest film producers with several of his films earning global appreciation. Several of his productions showcase the importance of family unity and social responsibility. An example is the movie titled 'Children of Heaven' which though has a story based on a pair of missing shoes; it showcases the beauty of unity between a sister and her brother despite going through life's difficulties (Sreekumar & Balasubramanian, 2007).

The Iranian community and culture is very particular about family and they could get extremely comfortable with each other when in love. They have no problems with letting their partners know about their discomfort, annoyance as well as their affection. Iranians hold their family and family members in high esteem (Gable, 1959). Iranians are also well known for being against public embarrassment or condemnation. In some cases, they even hold back the true state of things if they know it could adversely affect the feelings of others (Arasteh, 1964).

The Iranian culture stipulates that the father is the family leader and he has total control on his spouse and kids. Furthermore, family takes precedence over any other institution in Iran and children are often well taken care of. They are nurtured and loved to the fullest. The Iranians see the relationship between a parent and their offspring as more deserving of attention that that between a husband and his wife (Sreekumar & Balasubramanian, 2007). Traditions, family and culture are the major themes you would expect to find in Iranian films.

Severally in "Children of Heaven" by Majid Majidi, the story and actors showcase these common elements of Iranian culture (Sreekumar & Balasubramanian, 2007). Children movies shown to a majorly adult audience are not successful in most cases. This trend is due to the face that, despite our unbridled love for our kids, it is difficult for us to realize that their spiritual make up is similar to ours and they go through pain just like we do.

Sickness, brutality and penury have similar effects on children and adults and even in some cases, children might even be more affected, however, a point which Majid Majidi makes clear in his masterpiece, Children of Heaven is that children have more emotional and spiritual depth than adults. "Children of Heaven" is based on this and showcases the sacrifices the children have to make.

All through the film, Majidi ensured the children expressed their emotions to the fullest; the shame Zahra felt when she had to wear shoes not her size, Ali's remorse for misplacing her shoes and causing his loving sister to feel the bite of poverty much more and their combined remorse for not telling their parents the truth (Garcia, 2004).

Using locations such as the high Tehran neighborhood and the one-room home of the family as well as the high walled school complex, Children of Heaven shows the restricted life of the children and the bounds caused by poverty. The aim of Majidi in this film isn't to write a story for the adults as he has no doubts of the reality of the children spirits and their personal pride. All Majidi did was to write a play whose main actors were children.

By doing this, he has created a groundbreaker which might not be appreciated as one by many but in truth; this firm gently exposes you to a lot of facts related to humans that cannot be properly conveyed via text. (Garcia, 2004). One lesson I was able to grasp from this movie is that life is full of challenges and you have to overcome these challenges of you are to achieve your dreams and aspirations.

I was able to understand that life's difficulties are simply obstacles you will soon get past and that most times, difficulties show themselves as massive blockages on your path, which stop you from moving forward. Despite this, there is always something that will help clear these blockages from your path, embolden you and assist you in reaching your life's goals. Though the misplaced pair of shoes is clearly the major focus of the plot, "Children of Heaven" explicably illustrates the strong connection amongst the children.