X
  • 1999
  • TV-PG
  • Miramax Family Films
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 1999
  • TV-PG
  • Miramax Family Films
  • 1 h 29 m
Children of Heaven

Summary When Ali loses his sister Zahra's school shoes, this young pair dream up a plan to stay out of trouble: they'll share his shoes and keep it a secret from their parents. But if they're going to successfully cover their tracks, Ali and Zahra must carefully watch their step on what rapidly turns into a funny and heartwarming adventure.

Directed By: Majid Majidi

Written By: Majid Majidi

  • 1999
  • TV-PG
  • Miramax Family Films
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 1999
  • TV-PG
  • Miramax Family Films
  • 1 h 29 m

Children of Heaven

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
77
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings
7.3
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary When Ali loses his sister Zahra's school shoes, this young pair dream up a plan to stay out of trouble: they'll share his shoes and keep it a secret from their parents. But if they're going to successfully cover their tracks, Ali and Zahra must carefully watch their step on what rapidly turns into a funny and heartwarming adventure.

Directed By: Majid Majidi

Written By: Majid Majidi

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
77
71% Positive
10 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 14 Critic Reviews
77
71% Positive
10 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
7% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
This is a pellucid and gentle film, made with the simplicity and grace of a children's tale and yet its humour, emotional clarity and directness speak directly to adults and children alike - and the pre-teen principals shoulder an adult burden of performance.
By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW
100
Though Majidi draws from familiar Iranian sources, he's made something unique and moving: a sweet tale with a stirring finish.
By Michael Wilmington FULL REVIEW
90
Majidi masterfully balances the serious subtext with entertaining vignettes.
FULL REVIEW
80
One problem leads to another, but because the children's points of view are so powerfully rendered, the plot of this elegant and lightly magical-realist 1997 drama never seems merely coincidental.
By Lisa Alspector FULL REVIEW
75
Haunting in its charm, Children of Heaven opens a window on both contemporary Tehran and the hopeful heart of childhood. This lovely, amusing film deserves a big audience -- especially families. It touches on the innocence of children with tremendous affection.
By Peter Stack FULL REVIEW
50
The plot feels less like a realistic dilemma than it does a willed exercise in neorealist catharsis — a way of inviting Western audiences to bask in their materialist ”empathy.”
By Owen Gleiberman FULL REVIEW
30
Clumsily staged (a bike accident any 15-year-old Super-8 maven could’ve cut better), lit like a soap opera, and acted with all the bribed relish of a peanut butter commercial, Majidi’s movie is merely the simplistic bid being made by every national industry impatient for mass audience attention. Gallingly, it may succeed.
By Michael Atkinson FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings
7.3
83% Positive
15 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
17% Negative
3 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings
7.3
83% Positive
15 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
17% Negative
3 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company Kanun parvaresh fekri
Release Date Jan 22, 1999
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating TV-PG
Genres
Tagline A Little Secret...Their Biggest Adventure!
Website http://www.facebook.com/ChildrenofHeavenMovie
View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Montréal World Film Festival
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations
Fajr Film Festival
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations

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