In Theaters
A treat in every sense of the word, Majid Majidi’s The Song of Sparrows starts in galloping rural comedy and meanders through urban neo-realism before winding itself up with a portrait of family life as resonant as just about anything that’s been seen on screen in recent years. Granted — to paraphrase an indie film executive from the 1990s — there’s just about nothing in the world (huge ad campaign, glowing reviews) that will convince American audiences to go see an Iranian film, no matter that the director’s 1997 work The Children of Heaven was nominated for a foreign film Oscar. But if filmgoers decide for once to break that stereotype and seek out Majidi’s sumptuous parable, they’ll find a real piece of beauty…
A Song of Sparrows is playing in limited release. See it now, if at all possible. You can read the full review at filmcritic.com.
Chris Barsanti 