Daily Dialogue — November 23, 2017

“Listen, kids. Fereshteh couldn’t jump well because of her shoes. One of the most important things is sneakers. And I see, unfortunately, that some of you don’t wear them but some of you are wearing them.”

— Children of Heaven (1997), written by Majid Majidi

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: School, suggested by Gisela Wehrl who also recommended today’s dialogue.

Trivia: First Iranian film to receive nomination for an Academy Award (as Best Foreign Language Film of the Year).

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Gisela: “The shoes influence a lot in the school.

Zahra feels embarrassed because of Ali’s sneakers, and tries to hide them. She wants to have nice girl’s shoes like some other girls. (Beyond that, the sneakers are too big for her feet, so she cannot run fast with those. That causes problems when the siblings must changes the shoes as fast as possible, so Ali can reach his afternoon classes on time.) But while physical education her deficit becomes a strength and she could feel proud about the sneakers.

Her feelings are told completely without dialogue which also emphasizes what the teacher is saying: It’s important to have proper supplies in order to be successful in school. Though the teacher points out that shoes are the problem, she is not blaming the girls. She is aware that a lots of families cannot afford two pairs of shoes.”