No big drama, no intense car chase, no sex-laden imagery. Yet the film tugs. It has a compelling draw. It has all the simplicity of making a living, raising kids, living life. And then there are moments which confront complexity, where dreams and desires crash against life's harshness. Letting go an easy but corrupt deal which could pay for the daughter's hearing aid, being able to break into a song after the kids have witnessed their long-cherished plan choke on itself. The camera captures some poetry – of blue doors, sweeping vistas with ostriches, and landscapes which come alive from a kid's loving scrawl to full bloom. Did you know the pleasure of being on a breezy rooftop with your wife while the kids watch TV late in the evening? For such and many other life's precious moments, this film is a must watch.

A Golden Bear nominee of the Berlin International Film Festival, The Song Of Sparrows is Majid Majidi's first entry into a film festival of such prestige. The Iranian director of critically-acclaimed films such as The Children Of Heaven (1997) and The Color Of Paradise (1999) directs another praiseworthy picture, though I regard this as a less than stellar effort as compared to his best works.Majidi directs Mohammed Amir Naji to a Best Actor win and deservedly so because his portrayal of the lead character, Karim, is remarkably and convincingly natural. He plays the father of a relatively poor family who loses his job as a worker in an ostrich farm. He has a deaf daughter whose hearing aid is damaged after she dropped it in a water storage tank. Struggling to make ends meet as well as promising her daughter a new hearing aid to help her to cope with the coming exams, Karim goes out into the city to find temporary jobs in his old but dependable motorcycle.The Song Of Sparrows centers on Karim and uses him as a lens to reveal the two different ways of life inherent in Iran's increasingly urbanized setting – the tight-knitted rural community and the fragmented urban society. In the latter, the pace is fast and at times unsettling. Everyone is in a rush and this forces Karim to adopt a more pragmatic approach to earn a living – offering rides to anyone to anywhere in the city and allow them to pay him any amount they like.Occasionally, he does the odd job of delivering goods. In one instance, he loses his way and is forced to bring home a small refrigerator for the night. This 'expensive foreign object' causes excitement in the household because they have never seen anything like it before. Majidi, once again, highlights the urbanization, or more precisely, the dawn of urbanization which may change the rural way of life within the next decade or so in Iran.The conservative and overly protective Karim suffers a serious injury which renders him immobile for quite some time. This frees his children, especially his driven son to chase his own dreams – to rear fishes in the water storage tank and sell them to become a millionaire. Reality says that his dream is improbable because the construct of Iran's society is such that it is impossibly difficult to succeed with a low-class background.In a brilliant metaphor which describes the harshness of this reality, Majidi directs a scene which shows Karim's son and his friends frantically carrying a heavily leaking barrel containing many live fishes to safety only to trip and fall and see their 'dream' spill away onto the pavement. The Song Of Sparrows features a beautiful score by Hossien Alizadeh, and some impressive cinematography juxtaposing the quiet isolation of rural life and the hustle and bustle of urbanity. It is at times heartwarming, but for a Majidi film, it slightly lacks in emotion and the climax is not as powerful as intended. Nevertheless, The Song Of Sparrows is a decent showcase of the richness of Iranian cinema.SCORE: 7.5/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!

This is the story of Karim, the rural Iranian father of a deaf teen-aged daughter and two younger children. When, at the same time, he loses his job on an Ostrich ranch and his daughter loses her hearing aid right before important school exams, he heads to Tehran on his motorbike to look for work. By accident, he becomes a motorbike taxi driver and begins to make more money than he ever dreamed of. But he also begins to change as his desire for things and his ethics collide. Having promised his wife that the first priority would be to replace their daughter's hearing aid, he finds himself tempted by the material life he now has access to. Several heart breaking incidents cause him to examine what he has become. While the story/parable may be familiar, what is special is the way Majidi presents it. The dialogue is minimal letting the non-verbal actions of the characters speak for themselves as well as the great cinematography. Unlike many (not all)American films, it does not insult your intelligence with shallow dialogue and unnecessary action. Majidi really develops the characters into believable human beings. Reza Naji is great as Karim and the children in the film are so delightful and photogenic. And if you enjoy learning about and experiencing other cultures, it is a great window into Iranian culture, in this case, both rural and urban. With most of us only getting the sound bites about Iran we hear on radio or TV, this will give an insight into the real people and culture.

Majid Majidi helms "Avaze Gonjeshk-ha", a film that laments on the influence of materialistic societies and elevates pastoral romanticism. Beautifully filmed and empathetically characterized, audiences will be enchanted by little pleasures delivered, eventually snowballing to something poetically charged. Run time might be excessive, but this might just prove as nitpicking. Script lacks any sort of cynicism, a positive, as the film is nostalgic to moments of innocence. Question is, did it even exist? Picture shows it did in Majidi's universe.First act parallels the vibe of the Argentinean produced "Bombon: El Perro". Main protagonist Karim (Mohammad Amir Naji), fired from his job as an ostrich farmer, ventures off to Tehran to earn some money and find means to upgrade a broken hearing aid desperately needed by one of his daughters. Characterization is the main motivation here, as the director lovingly sculpts Karim as a paternal character untarnished by any sort of negative, earthly influences. Not that he is uninspired by desire, but his desire is more directed to more altruistic means towards his family. Thesping by Naji is pitch perfect.And here's where the film becomes more than it actually claims to be. Venturing off to exciting Tehran, Karim turns wide eyed, as he accidentally becomes a taxi driver. Comedy is potent here, definitely not used to degrade main protagonist though. Eventually, picture develops him into an influenced mortal showing greed and materialism. From an innocent television antenna, his backyard expands and practically becomes a junkyard. His character development transcends the screen, as every piece of junk he hogs, loss of his old self is palpable.Directing clearly emphasizes Karim as an Adam out of Eden, banished by circumstances to a city wrapped in earthly pleasures. Cinematography plays a massive role in this recurring theme. Lensed by Turaj Mansuri, film paints Iranian countryside as fertile and effervescent whilst modern Tehran isn't exactly depicted as ruthless and evil, but more constrictive and crowded. Cityscape is painted as monotone brown, allowing the characters to paint themselves, easily using citizens to express a point. Film isn't judgmental of city living, only reminds them of what they're missing.And that's just the first act. Next chapters' focuses on Karim's redemption from a fall from grace, events transpired that might come off normal to modern people but nonetheless, out of character to himself. His family life is placed in focus, as with Karim, audiences are allowed to comprehend (and remind main protagonist) what his old desires were. Undoubtedly contemplative and metaphorical, film guarantees a high replay value. Film strikes a cord with a visual cue on fish out of water.Picture definitely doesn't ask much from the audience, however it's upon the audience to accept it. This will reward them though as Majidi proves himself as a rich painter of not characters, but spotless souls. As with his previous films, Majidi transfers his optimism on celluloid without much trouble. Detail here is exemplary as every facet of the production is riddled with ideas waiting to be uncovered by repeat viewings.