Song of Sparrows

My favorite aspect of Songs of Sparrows was its cinematography. Many of the shots look like beautiful paintings or pictures. Film is so much more influential when thought goes into the placement of the camera and subjects. I enjoyed the symbolism in the film, although that's never a deal breaker for me. 

What I found most interesting in the film was the depiction of Iranian life. In the United States we have such a bad perception of Iran, but we forget that it's full of normal people trying to make their way in life. As Dawn noted, I also find interesting the similarities between Christianity and Islam. Phrases like "God is good" and "I will pray for you" are used in both religions. 

I also like the depiction of the father. His love for his children shined throughout the movie. Not just in his quest for the hearing aid, but for the little things, like holding the antenna for his kids, letting them draw on his cast, and his desire to provide for them. Unfortunately greed got in the way of his ultimate goal, which is something we can all relate to. As was said in the discussion, this film could have easily been set anywhere. The situations, emotions, and desires are something that every human relates to.

I won't pretend that I was blown away by this film. I felt like it lasted three hours. Now I'm not someone who loves constant excitement, or hates foreign films. The Bands Visit was one of my favorite films I have watched this year, and was slow and had subtitles  But, it pulled me in much more than this one did. I wouldn't have minded Band to be a bit longer. That's not to say Sparrows was bad at all, it was very well made and a good film. The humor had me laughing a few times too. This is a movie that I think I would need to watch again to really get the symbolism, and I would also recommend it. For me, it was more educational about Iran than anything else.