Avaze gonjeshk-ha 2008

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A parable of corruption, catastrophe and eventual redemption. Mr. Majidi's tale wasn't meant to be timely, of course, but the shoe fits, and the film wears it well. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: While the film incorporates a touch of neo-realism, Iranian director Majid Majidi isn't aiming for miserablism; his beautifully austere morality tale is more a sun-parched version of a different well-known story. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The images in The Song of Sparrows have a poetic grace that's to be desired in storytelling. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: This is the fourth collaboration for Naji and Majidi, and the actor and director feed off each other creatively, pushing the boundaries of the characters each time. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Delicate and sturdy. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: If you can look past the almost silent-era sermonizing of The Song of Sparrows, you can see something else at work here, and deeper things on view. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: [Director] Majidi is a master director of tear-jerkers, and he proves true to form with Sparrows. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: A leisurely and lovely picture, well worth seeing. Read more

Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle: At times funny, sad, poignant and suspenseful, Sparrows is a showcase for Majidi's masterful storytelling -- and Naji's superb acting. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Read more

Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic: It is somehow congenial to feel that we are watching a tale that could have been told elsewhere. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The Song of Sparrows is a sweet and uplifting humanistic fable that celebrates the joys of community and pastoral life over a harried and materialistic urban existence. Read more

Alissa Simon, Variety: Beautifully crafted, often sentimental, sometimes humorous pic. Read more

Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice: The film is pleasingly meandering, till the more typically Majidian soulful and teary-eyed climax. Read more

Dan Zak, Washington Post: At times tedious but ultimately beguiling, Song of Sparrows morphs from a sly dramedy about running a household into a fable about two ways of life (urban and rural) that can't coexist. Read more