Song of Sparrows [Avaze Gonjeshk-ha] (***½)

Directed by: Majid Majidi
Starring: Mahammad Amir Naji, Hossein Aghazi, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan
Seen: July 24th 2009

***½ Out of ****

This Iranian film is something to get used to, but once your there, right in the intimate details of this beautifully told story, you’ll forget about the subtitles, the almost slumbering visuals, and be immersed in this vibrant world.

Karim (Naji) is a family man in [approximately] his late fifties who works on an ostrich farm. At home he is quite happy to be the provider, and he is a very involved father. When his oldest daughter’s hearing aid falls into a water-storage at home his wife calls him at work and he drives home immediately. The water-storage isn’t a clean one, it is more of a sludge-hole, and he jumps right in there with his son and his friends. And this is exactly the kind of moments that makes this film grow on a person, because he is there exclusively to help them, but he won’t ever let on, rather making a dictator of himself – because he is the head of this household – and his underlying failure to be said dictator touches you deeper than you might think. Small moments are presented as the film progresses where Karim is displayed while showing emotion, but always by himself, to others it becomes bravado.

To exaggerate this even further, Karim loses his job when an ostrich escapes at the farm, so now he goes from the bread-winner in the household to the proud and unyielding father (it was a terrible job anyway...). Karim goes to Tehran to find out about fixing or replacing his daughter’s hearing aid, but it is expensive, and Karim half-stumbles out into the street with an utter feeling of despondency, and as he gets on his motorcycle, a man on his phone gets on with him, and tells Karim to drive – and bang! Karim becomes a taxi-driver. It brings good money, and the family are able to save up again.

The story keeps giving and taking from Karim, and shows how he doesn’t choose to have either a good or bad attitude towards whatever happens, but how he simply goes on, no matter what happens. Karim will simply go on providing for his little family. In my opinion the film could have generously gone on for another half-hour and I would barely have noticed, as you get so immersed in Karim’s comings and goings that your surroundings are soon forgotten. The defining moment of the film is depicted on the poster of the film, and is of such staggering beauty that you can’t help but feel exactly like the characters do. This is not a big Hollywood action blockbuster, but it is better than most of those, and if you’re looking for a small and intimate story, this Iranian gem will give you all you want.