NewsBytes Recommends: 'The Song of Sparrows'—finding life amid despondency
Over the decades, Iranian films have built a staggering reputation for capturing the world as it really is, sans any gloss, glitter, or starry glimmers. They paint a picture of astonishing authenticity, with actors slipping into characters in a way that one becomes indistinguishable from the other. Majid Majidi's The Song of Sparrows is one such, presenting a story that's both heartening and heartbreaking.
Story of Majidi's film
TSOS spans a few days in Karim's life—a middle-aged man responsible for his wife and three kids (one is a deaf daughter). His job entails taking care of a horde of ostriches on a large farm, but he finds himself ousted one day after an ostrich escapes. Karim turns into a motorcycle taxi driver, but as money flows in, his kindness ebbs away.
Locations lend incredible authenticity to film
One of the most striking aspects of Iranian films is their locations; they make the film moist with realisticness, and it becomes easy for the viewers to immerse themselves. This stands true for TSOS—we don't just see Karim, we are privy to his surroundings: his home, his neighborhood water tank, and the farm that demarcates the world of the rich. These surroundings shape him.
Metaphor and act of moving
Journey is used as a recurring motif in the film. From the ostrich's journey toward freedom to Karim's journey in Tehran to look for another source of income to him carrying several passengers to and fro on his bike to his son buying a school of fishes and leaving them in a pool, TSOS is drenched with the metaphor of journeys.
Does not have weak supporting characters
Even though the central premise deals with Karim's life, other characters are not tossed away in the process. We develop instant connections with Karim's wife (who sews professionally to make extra money), his deaf daughter (who lies that she can hear so that Karim doesn't have to spend on a hearing aid), and his son (who wants to be a millionaire after buying fishes).
Before you know it, you feel for Karim, his family
TSOS's effectiveness lies in how incredibly tender it feels. It is brought alive by unadulterated emotions, and the characters seem like someone you would know, not merely fictional. At several points, the vulnerability of the characters was such that I almost teared up. At other times, you are so connected to Karim that you wish for him to forever stay on the right track.
Film's focus on its central narrative
The film informs us of the erasure of Karim's innate altruism gradually and sews it into the narrative in such a way that it never comes across as spoon-feeding or on-the-nose. His dwindling kindness becomes apparent in scenes such as snatching away his dilapidated door from his neighbor's home and pondering for several minutes before giving alms to a poor young girl.
Film is streaming on YouTube
If you are new to Iranian films, The Song of Sparrows can act as a strong starting point. The characterizations, acting performances, plot setup, and strong subplots will draw you in almost instantly. A film as much about holding on to your real self as it is about finding life amid despondency, The Song of Sparrows is sentimental, emotional, intricately written, and splendidly performed.
