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Movies / Upcoming / The Song of Sparrows
The Song of Sparrows

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The Song of Sparrows (2009)

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Reviews Counted:39

Fresh:38

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: A heartfelt, affecting parable, The Song of Sparrows is another gem from Iranian director Majid Majidi.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for brief mild language

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Apr 3, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran, Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house, until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed... Karim works at an ostrich farm outside of Tehran, Iran. He leads a simple and contented life with his family in his small house, until one day when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city in order to repair his elder daughter’s hearing aid but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily starts to transform Karim’s generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished…--© Official Site [More]

Starring: Reza Naji, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehgan, Hamed Aghazi

Starring: Reza Naji, Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehgan, Hamed Aghazi, Shabnam Akhlaghi, Neshat Nazari, Hassan Rezaee

Director: Majid Majidi

Director: Majid Majidi
Screenwriter: Majid Majidi, Mehran Kashani
Producer: Majid Majidi
Composer: Hossein Alizadeh
Studio: Regent Releasing

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Reviews for The Song of Sparrows

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[A]stonishes with me its simplicity, its uncomplicated wisdom, its visual salience...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
09/01/09
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

The lessons are unsubtle and the pace drags near the end, but Naji is wonderfully expressive, the production design is top-notch and the Iranian countryside is gorgeous.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
08/07/09
Stan Hall
Stan Hall
Oregonian

A touching tearjerker that's also a celebration of traditional values against the dehumanizing tendencies of modern urban life...with even the most obvious moments saved by an underlying sweetness and poignancy.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
07/24/09
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Achingly poetic in a way that recalls the Italian neo-realism of The Bicycle Thief.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
06/12/09
Les Wright
Les Wright
culturevulture.net

At times funny, sad, poignant and suspenseful, Sparrows is a showcase for Majidi's masterful storytelling -- and Naji's superb acting.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/12/09
Jonathan Curiel
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

At times tedious but ultimately beguiling, Song of Sparrows morphs from a sly dramedy about running a household into a fable about two ways of life (urban and rural) that can't coexist.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
06/12/09
Dan Zak
Dan Zak
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's sweet and has some sublime, poetic moments.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/12/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

...a very satisfying, sobering and hopeful film...

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
06/02/09
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

It's likable, but missable.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/29/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The images in The Song of Sparrows have a poetic grace that's to be desired in storytelling.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/28/09
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The goldfish flopping in the sun is an image typical of Majid Majidi's films, fable-like and seemingly simple even as it is also complex.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/21/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

takes place a half a world away in a land of ostrich farms and refrigerators delivered...on the back of a motorbike, but Karim's foibles, his worries and joys, will be recognizable to anyone...

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/17/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
05/15/09
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is somehow congenial to feel that we are watching a tale that could have been told elsewhere.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
05/06/09
Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
New Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Delicate and sturdy.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/24/09
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Song of Sparrows is a sweet and uplifting humanistic fable that celebrates the joys of community and pastoral life over a harried and materialistic urban existence.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
04/16/09
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is the fourth collaboration for Naji and Majidi, and the actor and director feed off each other creatively, pushing the boundaries of the characters each time.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/09/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A leisurely and lovely picture, well worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
04/09/09
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

From a cross-cultural perspective "The Song of Sparrows" gives essential voice to the impoverished peasants of rural Iran.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/06/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The story is so well told that the symbolism supports rather than sustains the plot.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/03/09
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com
 
 
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