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Movie:		8.0
Picture:		8.0
Sound:		6.0
Extras:		1.0
Score:		8.0

Director(s):	Majid Majidi
Writer(s):	Mehran Kashani, Majid Majidi
Starring:	Mohammad Amir Naji • Hossein Aghazi • Maryam Akbari • Kamran Dehghan
Genre:	Drama
Website:	http://www.thesongofsparrowsmovie.com/
Release Date:	February 09, 2010
Rated:

List Price:	DVD - $18.49
Amazon:

Award winner at the Berlin International Film Festival and selected to represent Iran in the race for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes, The Song of Sparrows lives up to its subtle praise by depicting a beautiful portrait of an Iranian pastoral town. This English subtitled film begins as Karim, head of the household, loses an ostrich on the farm he works. This consequently costs him his job and dignity as he chases the fast bird and tries desperately to attract it by dressing up in a silly costume. This silently comedic film immediately captured my attention within the first ten minutes due to the cinematography of Tooraj Mansouri, leading me to watch the remainder if not for simply the entertainment but for the sheer beauty of the scenery.

Karim, unemployed, broke and unable to buy his daughter a new hearing aid, heads into the town of Tehran on the hunt for a new profession.  While stopping roadside to assist a stranded stranger he luckily stumbles upon a new career when the man mistakes his motorcycle as a taxi. He begins hustling businessmen to work as a cab driver of sorts, while raking in quite the profit. Soon thereafter Karim becomes money hungry, working endlessly to gather as much cash as humanly possible. Instead of bringing home the bread he begins spending every penny on silly trinkets and electronics. His hoarding addiction sadly breaks his success and his wife’s heart. A valuable scene depicting Karim’s problem is his toting a heavy blue door through the endless fields of his town, desperately trying to bring it home to stack in his pile of crap. This blue door haunts us later in the film during a tragic scene.

Due to his mother’s despair Karim’s son takes over as head of the household and begins venturing for a new way of income, certain that his goldfish enterprise will prove valuable.  With the help of his buddies, Karim’s son, driven by Karim, collects a barrel full of fish to bring home and starts his fish farm in their backyard well.  All is lost when the boys accidentally knock over the barrel, dumping thousands of fish onto the street in a heartbreaking scene. He and his friends rush to save their lives, knowing this is an impossible feat. The scene is invigorating with grand performances by the children; their depiction of pain and sorrow is extremely real. His father uplifts the depressed boy’s spirits during an impromptu song on the back of a pick up they hitched a ride upon.

The past success of Slumdog Millionaire has opened up new doors for movies like Sparrows. Its presence on our film-palette allows us to see valuable sides of life we are frequently unaware of. Oscar nominated director Majid Majidi has a streamline of movies that show, especially to women, how different his culture is from that of America’s.  In his 2001 film Baran he invited us to witness how hard it is to this day for women to get jobs over men, forcing the lead character to dress up as a man to be considered for the job of her dreams.

Karim’s happiness returns to him when he realizes it’s the little things in life that matter.  This valuable lesson shows him how much he cares for his family. The movie completes in a scene where Karim is gleeful as he watches an ostrich dance, awestruck by it’s beauty. He may realize here that this is the free ostrich he let go; perhaps thinking his entire struggle was well worth this animal’s happiness.

At times challenging, this film is rewarding leaving us with a good feeling in its closure. The Song of Sparrows is filmmaking at it’s finest, created in a way modern Hollywood has since let dwindle away

DVD Bonus Features

No bonus features for the film, just your average chapter selections and subtitle changes.