By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.6
Director: Majid Majidi
Starring: Hamid Aghazi | Kamran Dehgha | Maryam Akbari | Mohammad Amir Naji | Neshat Nazari | Schabnam Akhlaghi
Original language title: Avaze gonjeshk-ha
Country: iran
Year: 2009
Running time: 96
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/
Diane says: “I love many of Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s films (CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, BARAN, WILLOW TREE, COLOR OF PARADISE) for their gentle recognition of the beauty inherent in life. SONG OF SPARROWS, however, is so driven by its morality lesson that it loses its heart. Karim (Reza Najie from WILLOW TREE and others) is fired from his job at an ostrich farm after one of his charges escapes, and he falls into providing motorbike taxi service in Tehran. Life in the city and some easy money make Karim greedy. He neglects his children and charitable opportunities in order to build up a huge pile of collected junk.
“Some cuts are difficult to follow–too much edited out?–and Karim’s ostrich epiphanies are filmed in a way that leaves the viewer out. 2 cats”
Julie says: “Although I have not seen Majidi’s other films which may have colored Diane’s view of this film, I was highly impressed. Wonderful acting by all and esp Reza Naji who plays the father. Beautiful cinematography of gorgeous Iranian landscapes. Both humorous and very poignant, a lot of subtle touches as well as some beautifully artistic and symbolic cinema-graphic moments. I do agree that there seemed to be a lot of things edited out that I would have liked to see, but it did not detract from the film and perhaps made it even more appealing, in the director’s faith in the viewers ability to read between the lines. 4 cats”
Thom says: “A rural Iranian ostrich farmer (Amir Naji) (has anyone ever seen a flick with a character with that profession?) with a large family loses his job & heads off to Tehran where he becomes a motorcycle (which are used like taxis in Tehran) driver and runs into a series of problems. This ostensibly sweet film doesn’t have any overall dramatic appeal but it finally won me over with its sincerity and certainly shows that much of life in Iran exists far away from any political or religious concerns. The largely non-professional cast plays well with the trained lead. This is a Chlotrudis screener, so everyone can see it for free. Director Majidi has some noteworthy films on his resume.”
Toni says: “THE SONG OF SPARROWS has a hard act to follow for me. One of my favorite films of the all time is his fable THE COLOR OF PARADISE with its use of vivid colors simple, tragic tale with room for redemption.
“However, THE SONG OF SPARROWS is also a fable of a sorts, telling the tale of a man who has to make ends meet in the city as a motor-taxi after losing his job as an ostrich farm worker with a deaf daughter who has broken her hearing air and a family with naïve hopes of success. The family has unrealistic hopes to raise fish and the man begins to horde items to use that no one wants in the city.
“***Spoiler Alert***
“Is the man wrong telling his family to be realistic and give up on false hopes? Should his family stop giving the hoArded items away and stopping get rich quick schemes? Should the uncle stop forcing the children to work for so little? These questions are sort of left up in the air looked at in different angles. I would have liked the film to be more focused on one of the sub-stories like the man’s journey over the family’s journey. However, I did in enjoyed the interesting variety of visuals from the lost fish to the closing found ostrich. My favorite scene was of the man deciding whether or not to give a young girl, begging for money in the street while riding his bike home and the process of determining whether or not to give her change or give her full amount of the bill showing what is going in his mind and makes you think. Overall, the film is certainly a good one but is missing the special something to give it all 5 cats.”