It's so real it could be a documentary. One day, some five years ago, a pubescent girl in Montreal sued the government for not covering the cost of her breast implants. She said, that was indispensable for her health and well-being. I'd say, people like this should take a six months fact- finding mission to Kurdistan, where this film was shot, and see how life is. How children work and how they manage to live, even smile and sing sometimes. The movie starts strongly, never lets go and moves you to the deepest. If you don't shed a tear, unlikely, you'll still be haunted. The unprofessional children's acting is phenomenal, which shows again that sometimes non-actors give stronger performances (particularly Amaneh and Madi) The hand-held camera takes are absorbing and the urgency is vivid. The cultural differences are manifest, and this is a study of humanity in a rough and cruel setting. The film should be mandatory viewing to blase kids who feel miserable for not getting for free the last video game console. Camera d'or at Cannes, best first feature of director Bahman Ghobadi.
© Dan Gabriel 2012
© Dan Gabriel 2012