Children of Heaven

<em>'Children of Heaven'</em> is quite sad in parts, though it ends up being rather wholesome in actuality. This 1997 flick features a simple premise but one that doesn't fail to draw at the heartstrings, I was immediately hooked into caring as soon as the youngsters appeared. Amir Farrokh Hashemian is brilliant as Ali. I'm not one to feel overly emotional when watching fictional things, but I actually felt sad whenever the kid was sad... even when he was teary eyed, the little fella almost got me too! Bahare Seddiqi is also extremely sweet as Zahra. Reza Naji is the best of the adults, I enjoyed his character. That scene with Ali at the gate buzzer is real nice. Other positives are the locations, cinematography and score - all of which I appreciated. I don't hold any negatives, in fact. A great introduction to Iranian cinema for me.