What a movie, you are spellbound for hours together after watching the movie, a masterpiece from the Iranian genius Majid Majidi. Ali and Zanaib just mesmerise you and you are left awestruck, craving for more. The movie depict the life of two small children Ali, a nine year old boy and Zanaib his younger sister living in rural Iran with their parents in a small home consisting of a courtyard and a single room. Their father does some errands at a local office usually serving tea to people working there, hardly getting enough money to meet their ends. The movie starts with Ali sitting next to a cobbler repairing his sisters worn out shoes. While returning to his home he has to buy some grocery and during this he loses Zanaib’s shoes. He returns home with a heavy heart and assures Zanaib that he will find her shoes, but he cannot find them and returns home. In the evening Zanaib tells Ali how could she go to school as she didn’t have any other pair of shoes, and they decide to share Ali’s sneakers. Next day Zanaib goes to school with Ali’s sneaker. But in school she tries to hide her sneakers as they are not as pretty as other girl’s shoes.
After the classes are over, Zanaib runs towards a secluded street where Ali is waiting for him and they quickly exchange the sneakers. After this Ali runs towards his school, this continues day after day and Ali tries to hush up Zanaib by giving her pens pencils so that she would not reveal the secret in front of their parents. One day when Zanaib while returning to Ali after school loses the sneaker and it goes into a gutter, she desperately tries to retrieve the sneaker running after it as it flows through the drain and with the help of an old man gets it back. After meeting Ali she complaint that she would not wear those sneakers as they are big and dirty, but Ali tells her that if she would tell father about this he would have to spend several days’ hungry in order to save money for buying a new pair of shoes.
Ali’s father Karim gets some agricultural tools, which a helpful neighbour offers to him for his service in the mosque, and decides to go to the town to work as a gardener. On the weekend Ali joins his father and they leave on Karim’s bicycle. Town is a wonderful place big streets, big houses and after wandering through the streets they finally get some work. Karim works while Ali plays with a little child whose name is Ali Reza. After finishing the work the old man in the house pays Karim, which is more than enough. While returning home Karim dreams big that he can do this every weekend and will save a lot of money but they are met with an accident.
One day a race is announced in Ali’s school, but Ali is not interested. However when he learns that the third prize is a sneaker he decides, to take part in the race, but on learning that the selections have been made he pleads to the sports teacher to give him a try. On the race day Ali runs with a dream of getting the third prize, but the race ends and he stands first. He is a champion but this never made him happy. He returns home and Zanaib asks him did he come third.
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