The White Balloon
The White Balloon Persian , Badkonake sefid is a 1995 Iranian film directed by Jafar Panahi, with a screenplay by Abbas Kiarostami. It was Panahis featurefilm debut as director. The film received many strong critical reviews and won numerous awards in the international film fairs around the world including the Prix de la Camera dOr at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. The Guardian has listed this film as one of the 50 best family films of all time.
It is the eve of the Iranian New Year. The film opens in a Teheran market where sevenyearold Razieh Aida Mohammadkhani and her mother are shopping. Razieh sees a goldfish in a shop and begins to nag her hurrying mother to buy it for the festivities instead of the skinny ones in her familys pond at home. Almost all of the films major characters are briefly seen in this market scene, though they wont be introduced to the viewer until later. On their way home, mother and daughter pass a courtyard where a crowd of men has gathered to watch two snake charmers. Razieh wants to see what is happening but her mother pulls her daughter away, telling her that it is not good for her to watch these things.Back home, Razieh is upset about her mothers refusal to let her buy a new goldfish, but continues her campaign of nagging. Her older brother Ali Mohsen Kalifi returns from a shopping errand for their father who, although remains unseen has a tangible presence causing tension in the family. He complains that he asked Ali to buy shampoo, not soap, then throws the soap at him. Ali sets off to buy the shampoo and when he returns Razieh enlists his help in changing her mothers mind about the goldfish, bribing him with a balloon. Insisting that she can buy the goldfish in the market for 100 tomans Youre crazy, Ali tells her, remarking that he can see two films with that money, Razieh finally gets her wish. Her mother gives her the familys last 500toman banknote and asks her to bring back the change. Razieh sets off with an empty glass jar to the fish shop a few blocks away. ........
Source: Wikipedia