The White Balloon [VHS]
by Jafar Panahi

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VHS Movie Reviews of The White Balloon [VHS]

Movie Review: An allegorical tale
Summary: 5 Stars

Movie Review: A high level film!
Summary: 5 Stars

Movie Review: Deceptively simple story-telling at its best
Summary: 5 Stars

For Razieh, it is all pretty simple --- the quest for the extra-chubby goldfish, and dealing with the twists and turns of achieving her goal. Every child has been a situation like this, and for those of us who can remember how it felt, this movie is a fascinating and deceptively simple tale.

The world can be a pretty scary place for a seven-year-old, and this movie brings that home quite powerfully. One feels especially the ominous presence of a not particularly benign government. in the form of an intimidating military presence.

The movie's success rests on the ability of the girl playing Razieh to deliver her lines while retaining that natural little girl quality. This she does magnificently. She is irresistably cute (and knows it) but also can be a real pain in the ass when she doesn't get what she wants. She is also overwhelmed by the world outside, but has enough resourcefulness to stick up for herself when she is being dealt with unfairly (as with the snake charmer).

She also conveys the power of loss, and reminds the viewer that just because an adult may regard something as trivial, it is nonetheless very real and very devastating to a child, and that the despair of loss for the child is as real as anything an adult might experience. The moment when Razieh is at the pet shop and realizes that she has lost her bank note --- where she realizes that she is really screwed and also in big big trouble --- is as moving a scene in the cinema as I have seen.

Some viewers may find life as it actually happens to be pretty boring cinema, and I suppose in the wrong hands it could be extremely boring, but not in this case. This has remained one of my favorite foreign films of all times. I look forward to my not-quite one-year-old daughter reaching Razieh's age, so that I can begin to appreciate the similarities. I sure she will drive me crazy just like Razieh would.

Movie Review: Boring
Summary: 1 Stars

Other Iranian directors have been successful in getting around the censors while telling an interesting story. This director has failed. People who insist on seeing this film as artistic are trying too hard.

Movie Review: Charmingly simple
Summary: 4 Stars

Children seem to be the focus of many of these films, as they are in this one. The little girl was so appealing, despite her whining and pouting, that and I found myself aching for her when she lost her money and was trying to find it.

A good, slow-paced movie...glad I saw it.

Summary of The White Balloon [VHS]

General Video

• Genres > Art House & International
• By Country > Iran
• By Original Language > Persian (Farsi)
• Drama > By Theme > Childhood Drama
• Kids & Family > By Theme > Mischievous Children
• Art House & International