The Song of Sparrows

Co-writer/director Majid Majidi (Children of Heaven") crafts a simple parable about Karim (Reza Naji), an Iranian ostrich wrangler who loses his job and is forced to seek work in the big city of Teheran to pay for his daughter's broken hearing aid. On his small motorcycle, Karim finds quick work giving businessmen rides, and returns home nightly with discarded goods he finds on the city streets. The disparity between the bustling city life and a rural communal existence takes a toll on Karim's psychological and physical well-being that only his family and friends can mend. The film nearly functions as a minimalist chamber piece, but is too splintered in its mixed metaphors to create a lasting narrative symbol of anti-capitalist expression. However, from a cross-cultural perspective "The Song of Sparrows" gives essential voice to the impoverished peasants of rural Iran.
Rated PG. 96 mins. B- (Three Stars)