Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Children of Heaven

Children of heaven are really children from heaven.

It is quite sometimes ago, when I was first trying myself to watch a movie at the silver screen. It was the year which the stigma is still there. You’re not a decent person if you watch movie with friends or your family. Big screen then is seemed like the source of evil. There is some wave coming out from the screen and will eat up the best part of you, the angel part.
But still, I’m the one suggesting to my friends to watch a movie which will be screen at the international screen at GSC Mid Valley. And I’m suggesting them an Iranian movie title Children of Heaven. The title seemed delicious, but unlucky me, I do not know anything about movie, not to tell how to get a ticket and finding sits inside the cinema. Even so, my friends are there to help me on the technical thingy. The ticket price is more expensive from regular, which is RM12 per sit because it is featuring on the international screen. So, I thought that, it must be a good movie.

Well, confidently sitting there, which that was my first experience and I never thought the room so big. I remember the cinema so big (literally) cause there in nobody else to watch (if I can remember, maybe there a two or three people excluding us that watch the movie). We can choose where we want to sit then. What wrong with the movie? That was the first weird thing.
Maybe I’m trying to look smart so that why I choose Children of Heaven. I never knew, Iranian movie is away from what we know about a movie. I’m thinking of the good looking actors and actresses, actions, technologies, stunning scenery and superb sound but, none! Children of Heaven always had been a film similar what we can see from regular television drama. That was the second weird thing.
Third, the film all and all is about children which is run and run and run and run. Till the end, the child is still running. Owh my goodness, I look stupid already in front of my friends. The lights on and we are up to have lunch. No comment that slips form my friends’, and I’m too speechless.
Last night, I watch the rerun of Children of Heaven alone, in front of my audio visual set, and I knew I not been apologetic bringing my friends to watch years ago. Because there is no evil, none of the angels part will be sucked out from your body, in fact, the film very much teach us about to have faith in God and God alone, total depend on Him, responsibility, sacrifice, the family bond and so many more. And what the director need is only a pair of shoes, and two children, Ali and Zahrah, which maybe I’m too believing that they have been send down from heaven.
There is a moment that starttled me. Zahrah is pouring tea to her father, which at that particular time his father breaking sugar to smaller pieces. The sugar is from a masjid that will be used for religious ceremony.
Her father then asked her, “Zahrah Jan, where is my sugar my dear”.
Zahrah said, “Look father, there is a lot of sugar in front of you, do we really need to take sugar out from our kitchen shelf?”
The father then replied, “Well dear, this sugar is not ours. It is for a ceremony at masjid. This is an amanah, we can’t take it”.
I was feeling so much guilt years ago, RM12 is still expensive for some of us (we are students back then). But I know now, RM12 is still not that much to watch a movie that can fill your soul and send it to the sky. In fact, I think, I’m outreaching my friends by using popular medium.
Enjoy and been blessed at the same time, guilty? Nope. It is a beauty.
In fact if my friends come, I will play the movie again.

3 comments:

ieka said...

someone reviewed this film from another perspective, where the concept of winning meant differently to someone. Remember when the brother took part in the race? His aim not to be the first winner, but to either be in the second or third place (i dont really remember), because he joined the race to win the shoes. nak buat filem yg bagus, kdg2 tak perlu impak maksima atau wajah kacak/cantik.. cukup kalau pengisian mendalam.. kan kan :)

ASaL said...

The scene is beautifully done. Ali aimed for third place, so he can give the new sneaker to his sister in order to replace the missing shoe. He run to win his sister heart actually, in return for her kindness which agree not to report the missing shoe both to their mom and dad. Running for the sacrifice of her sister. While he running, he imagine Zahrah also running with him. So, to get to the third place is crucial. But despite of that, he win the first place which make him so upset. What a story! Setuju, Hollywood may produce breathtaking films all the time with monstrous budgets and sources, but Hollywood never can make a story which can touch human heart and at the same time send it to heaven! This is a master piece, a grand masterpiece I would say.

luqmanali said...

i remember my first time watching it in 2003. if you love to see ali and zahra in children of heaven, then i must recommend you another movie titled 'colors of paradise'. watch it and you'll see how good iranians produce films. [and yet we think we are good enough with our films] sigh~