Children of Heaven

Ali takes his little sister Zahra's shoes to the shoemaker to be repaired, but loses them on the way home. The siblings decide to keep the predicament a secret from their parents, knowing that there is no money to buy a replacement pair and fearing that they will be punished. They devise a scheme to share Ali's sneakers: Zahra will wear them to school in the morning and hand them off to Ali at midday so he can attend afternoon classes. This uncomfortable arrangement leads to one adventure after another as they attempt to hide the plan from their parents and teachers, attend to their schoolwork and errands, and acquire a new pair of shoes for Zahra. Zahra sees the shoes on a schoolmate's feet, and follows her home, but the two soon become friends.

Ali enters a high-profile children's footrace in the hope of receiving the third prize of a new pair of sneakers. He accidentally places first and wins another prize instead. The film ends with Zahra finding out that she will not get a new pair of shoes, but there is a quick shot of their father's bicycle at the end of the movie that shows what appears to be the red shoes Zahra had been focusing on earlier and another pair of white sneakers, presumably for Ali, whose old sneakers were torn from so much use. The film ends with the final shot showing blisters on Ali's feet. Some versions include an epilogue revealing that Ali eventually achieves the larger-scale success of having a racing career.

This film is the epitome of what so many try, but all too easily fail, to adequately achieve in cinema – a story told with moving pictures. The subtitles are unnecessary for the most part, it is so clear what's going on. The acting, especially by the two child leads, is also moving and sincere. Subtle expressions and gestures help to paint a bigger picture of a family united by strong moral values.Ali's father, poor as he is, refuses to take even a spoonful of the sugar entrusted to him by the mosque for his own tea. His mother rages at the landlord who calls to intimidate her when her husband isn't at home. Meanwhile, Ali and Zahra communicate in whispers and glances, keeping all their worries and fears to themselves.Children of Heaven excels in its intimate portrayal of the minutiae of life in Tehran. The contrast between the plight of the poor and the rich is brought keenly into focus when Ali and his father go into the city in search of gardening work. The palatial, gated communities are a world away from Ali's own home, and yet he is educated and studious enough to know more about how to speak to these people than his father does.Ali works hard at school, but when he wins a prize his first thought is of his sister. He gives her his hard earned gold pen by way of an apology for losing her lovely pink shoes. Later, it is through school that Ali learns of a way to try and win a pair of trainers, which he determines to do so his sister can sell them and buy herself some pretty new shoes.