Alicia I love this movie so much

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

HeadlinesExotic Boring

Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Magic Lamp 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.

superlo 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.

MartinHafer This is about the 6th film of Majid Majidi that I have seen and reviewed. I would see more, but currently these are the only ones readily available here in the US. All are exceptionally well acted and compelling films about working class folks. And, while they lack the glamor and excitement of most films, there is a simple beauty about them that keeps me coming back for more.Perennial Majidi actor, Mohammad Amir Naji, plays Karim--a poor guy who loses his temper a lot but has a lot of decency buried within him--and a lot to admire. His life seems, for a while, to be nothing but financial hardships. His oldest daughter loses her hearing aid in a stagnant pool, when it's found it is hopelessly ruined AND he loses his job. With no insurance on the hearing aid, he is determined to do anything, or just about anything, to make the money to get the hearing aid. On a lark, he gets work as an independent cabbie--of sorts. He shuttles people and packages all over Teheran on his motorcycle. In addition, when he sees salvageable junk, he carts it home to the countryside where he lives with his family.At the same time, his young son (who appears to be only about 7) has business plans of his own. Like his father, he has a very strong sense of family responsibility and he and his friends go to amazing lengths to start up an odd little business.There are many ups and downs in the story, but during all these the family never loses their sense of decency and love--despite Karim being a bit of a blow-hard at home. A very moving tale that really helps you to appreciate all that you have--especially since these people have so little yet seem content. My only reservation, and it's a small one, is that not a lot overtly happens in the film--and it seems a tad incomplete.In some ways, this film is an awful lot like Majidi's "Children of Heaven"--with the same man playing the father, the same financial problems and the same sense of ingenuity within the children. Both are lovely films, but I strongly recommend you first see "Children of Heaven" or "The Color of Paradise" first--they are great films and represent Majidi at his very best.

elsinefilo Majid Majidi's favorite man,Reza Naji who played the construction overseer Memar in Baran (2001),the father of the blind boy Ali in Bacheha-Ye aseman (1997),and Mortaza the hospital mate of Youssef (Parviz Parastui)in Beed-e majnoon (2005)plays Karim this time. Karim works in an ostrich farm.He doesn't make much but he seems to be contented with what he has with his simple family. One day he gets the ax when one of the ostriches runs away.On his way back home, he finds out that her daughter has dropped her hearing aid in the sludge of the local storage. Soon after, he travels to Tehran to have the hearing aid fixed.When he is mistaken for a cabbie with his motorbike he starts making his living in Tehran.Through heavy traffic he carries goods like- even-a refrigerator and many sorts of people.Through the bustling city life we witness Karim's sustained efforts trying to preserve his unadulterated self. Karim,even as an understanding husband and father is still part of a patriarchal society. He believes in his own truth. For instance, one day when he is coming back from the city,he sees his kids selling flowers on the roadside and the first reaction he gives is:" Don't I provide for you enough?" However the only dream his son Hussein (Hamed Aghazi), has is to clean up the storage,buy some fish to let them reproduce there and to become a millionaire by selling more and more fish:)No matter how brusque he looks like Karim is a good-hearted guy like any other major Majidi character. Deeply and genuinely concerned with faith,bad men don't seem to be taking much of a space in Majidi's movies. Unlike other Iranian directors like Abbas Kiarostami he seems to have undertaken a mission of creating simple but sweet movies. Last but not least,IMDb's language information may sometimes be not fully correct. Majidi uses more and more the Turkish language in his movies. Song of Sparrows include more Turkish words than his previous movies maybe because of the fact that Karim and the local people around him speak a Persian mixed with Azerbaijani Turkish. The song Karim sings at the back of the truck and the song he sings to his wife are in Turkish. The songs to which they listen on the truck's tape recorder are also in Turkish. It may be just me but I guess Song of Sparrows is also a more hopeful and less dark movie than the previous Majidi flicks. As someone who have seen his movies like Baran and The Colour of Paradise, this one is easier to watch without tears. All in all, it is a purely humanitarian,an overwhelmingly sweet movie that you will just like!