The Color of Paradise (1999) - Majid Majidi

Well situated between two masterpieces of Iranian cinema, Majidi's Color or Paradise is, as the title would suggest one of the series of lush lyrical Iranian films that were become fashionable in the late nineties. Like Makhmalbaf's The Silence, this film's protaganist is also a blind boy, and this is compensated with a sumptuous visual pallate. The story itself concerns a recently widowed father who has to look out for his blind son during the summer break from school. For a culture generally frowning upon deformity and handicapped people, he resents his son, and realizes that he will most likely have to spend the rest of his life taking care of him. The rest of his family, his normal daughters and the boy's grandmother are all delighted that the boy is there for the summer. Big surprise, the boy too is thrilled to be with his families company. The drama sets up later some primitive conflict, but the overall message is that a son is a son, and this boy is special and certainly brighter than the somewhat tone deaf instrument tuner of Makhmalbaf's film. I felt a believable characterization of sorts here, with behavior easily relatable, which contrasts it with quite a few other Iranian directors films with children.