Reflection on Song of Sparrows

Despite a lack of special effects and minimum background music i felt this film gripped my attention quite well for the hour and half. This goes to show that huge budgets and star power acting is not what makes a great film. The simplicity of the story exhibited in a completely different culture was fascinating to me. The level of moral content the director was able to put in this film without being overt because of legal cultural restrictions took major talent. The father in this film becomes consumed with material possessions and makes it his  main focus to the point where his world comes crashing down around him (literally). After he falls of the pile of junk that has accrued in his yard, it is then that he realizes what a mess he has made of his life. Hmmm... interesting resemblance can be drawn to Christianity; we must see the emptiness the world holds for us and turn to the things that really matter. Also, a major parody to Salvation is the kids cleaning out the well. The father says in the film that theres no way a fish could live in all that junk and muck. So the kids get the idea to clean out the filth and fill it with clean water so fish can live there. That is powerful symbolism to anyone who is open to receive it. These subtle moral messages encoded in Majid Majidi's films makes him an outstanding director. Simple story, great film, well done.