Berlin: A bitter-sweet parable about the struggles of a rural family outside Tehran, and a documentary on a heavy metal band in Baghdad offered contrasting slices of life in contemporary Iran and Iraq at the Berlin Film Festival today.
In "The Song of Sparrows," the Oscar-nominated Iranian director Majid Majidi tells the story of Karim, who lives contentedly with his wife and children on the outskirts of the capital and works on an ostrich farm. After events result in him being fired, Karim is forced to search for work in the city where his efforts to eke out a living lead to further problems for both himself and his family.
The film, which received its world premiere in Berlin where it is one of 21 entries competing for the Golden Bear top prize, is a gentle cautionary tale that contrasts pastoral innocence with urban guile. As with "The Children of Heaven," for which Majidi received an Oscar nomination in 1999, "The Song of Sparrows" also focuses on the innocence and ingenuity of young children when faced with hardship. Indian director Parvez Sharma's "A Jihad for Love," a documentary about gay and lesbian Muslims, includes interviews with Muslim homosexuals from 12 countries, while Tanaz Eshaghian's "Be Like Others" examines the ramifications of undergoing a sex change in Iran.
