Last spring I got into this craze of watching Iranian films. I did it mostly to get Farsi back into my ear before I headed off to the Persian world this past summer. I wasn't expecting to like the movies as much as I did. But you must understand that by "like" I don't mean "experienced warm fuzzies while watching." These movies deal with some tough situations: poverty, injustice, oppression of women, war, etc. And most often the movie just ends when it's at the lowest point of the movie. There is no happy resolution that our American minds find so satisfying.
So, if you desire to delve into this realm of foreign films with me, I must recommend a particular director: Majid Majidi. Here are three of his movies that are a must see:
Children of Heaven(Bachaha-ye Asman)I recommend this as a good starter into his work as it is an endearing story, without the depth of tragedy that is seen in some of his other works. This movie is a story about a boy and his sister. The boy accidentally loses his sister's only pair of shoes and they end up sharing the same shoes in order to go to school every day, in sort of a relay fashion. When the boy hears of a race where the third place prize is a new pair of shoes, he is determined to win those shoes for his sister. There are great dynamics of Persian family life and as I've been working in the public schools in that part of the world, it is a great peek inside my work world, for those who are interested. 
The Color of Paradise (Rang-e Khuda)8-year old Muhammed is blind and his father is deeply ashamed of him. As he comes home from the school for the blind in Tehran for the summer vacation we meet his two sisters and grandma. The father, who is hoping to marry a young, beautiful woman, plans to send Muhammed off to work with a blind carpenter under the guise of giving him a skill, but really wanting to get him out of the way for his marriage. Muhammed wrestles with emotions of being away from family and wrestles deeply in his faith in God. In a tragic mess of circumstances that follow, Muhammed sees the need for his faith. I felt this movie really brings to light the deep yearning for faith in the hearts of the Persian people as well as the issues of shame and honor that they face in every day situations. Have a few tissues handy for this one. 
Baran (Hamsay-e Khuda)This is the story of an Afghan refugee family in Iran who, after the father has an accident at a construction site and is unable to work, dresses up his daughter as a boy and sends her off in his place. She struggles with being able to do the level of hard work of the others and being seen as a weak little boy, gets sent off to work preparing tea and meals for the men, taking over another young man's job. The young man is incensed and tries to sabatoge her, in the process discovering the secret of her (his) identity. And not only that, but falling in love with her. As you watch this movie you may have moments of "for real?!" when the story may seem just too implausible. But, put judgment aside and enjoy this dreary tale of hidden identity, "love," commitment to family, and the plight of Afghan refugees. Happy viewing! And be sure to come back and comment on what you thought of the movie. Or if you've seen these if you have anything to add. I'd be interested to hear others' insights.
(Hopefully you can find them for rent. The Wheaton public library has all of these and you can find them online on places like netflix.)
