gavin6942 Several people try to help a little girl to find the money her mom gave her to buy a goldfish with.I am not as convinced as other people that this is a "great" movie, but it is a pretty good one. Despite being very simple, it happens to be rather effective. The director has said the intent was (at least in part) to make a movie for one dollar that Hollywood would have spent millions on. And in that respect he succeeded.The film itself is not overly exciting, but it does have one thing going for it: it shows the everyday lives of the Iranian people. This is something that I think always has value for people watching in America, because somehow over the years Iran has become the country's chief rival (even more than Russia). I understand the reasons why, but find it unfortunate that the citizens have been demonized in the process. Watching films like this helps rectify that.

Ordinary Review Snake charmer: "You never take back what you've given! Your money is gone."After seeing Offside (2006), I decided to see more of Jafar Panahi and out of the three films I decided to see, The White Balloon is the first one.The White Balloon takes place on New Year's eve. Seven year old Razieh is sad because she saw beautiful gold fishes in a pet shop but her mother won't let her have any because they have a pond with gold fish already. It is a tradition to have a gold fish for New Year's and after discussing it with her brother, Ali - who is a few years older than Razieh - she manages to convince their mother to give them the money to buy a goldfish in exchange for a balloon that she received. Happy and with a 500 torans note in her fish bowl, Razieh heads out to the pet shop. However, many obstacles and just as many characters will find themselves on her road to the sought out gold fish.This film narrates one of the simplest stories in a sweet way. On many occasions it reminded me of Children of Heaven (1997) - the simple story, the struggles of children and the pervasive themes of money, poverty, the crowded streets of Tehran and of course, all of this centering around a fantastic child actress, Aida Mohammadkhani.It was really heartwarming to see this little child try and convince adults that this money is life and death for her. The way she has to impose herself because adults won't listen to a child is truly moving. Her issues are varied: the multiple attempts she makes to procure the money but also the genuine help she receives from strangers, a notion that is discussed when a soldier argues with her about the notion of what being a "stranger" really is.There are a lot of things that we the viewers are never told, but this didn't concern us, we were too focused on the journey with the 500 torans to care anyway. The movie walks a fine line between the absurd and realism while exploring the edges and angles of social interactions. In no overt way political (unlike the other movies from Panahi can be) it is a very straight forward tale. We are pleasantly reminded that it doesn't take a billion dollar budget to film a good movie.On the other hand, the movie arouses our fears at the outset, without actually fulfilling them. We, as adult viewers, are afraid that Razieh will get hurt or robbed at any moment and when we realize our fears were unfounded it makes us wonder about this misanthropic fear we have of other human beings who we class as "strangers". Maybe we've been fooled too many times and we are wary of the innocence children can have.The movie could have explored more avenues - explore their family, for example, or had music and perhaps more landscape shots - nevertheless, those would all have been decorative. The movie remains at heart as the story it tells, short and poignantly bare.I liked: No unnecessary frills. Razieh is a lovely character. Endearing. Innocence of childhood.I disliked: Maybe some characters were purposely threatening just to provoke a sense of fear in the viewer.78/100 If you've enjoyed Children of Heaven (1997) I would recommend this to you. If you like stories involving child actors this is a must see.Read more reviews at: www.theordinaryreview.blogspot.com

sammy The White Balloon is a movie which banks upon it's unbelievably simple story and settings. Shot almost entirely in just about three locations within a locality the movie comes across as a beautifully made spectacle of new wave cinema .The Director does well to capture the moments in lens which come from the actors in the movie (almost all of them are children).Natural acting and a delectable plot mark the movie.It is sometimes quite incredible to note how such a beautiful movie comes out of a painfully simple plot, a plot which reminds us of short stories from our primary school days.No scope for melodrama or extravagance Mr. Panahi quite ably illustrates that big budgets , exquisite locations and highly paid actors are not needed to make Exceptional movies. Movie which will stay with you for ever. Simple is Beautiful.

mifunesamurai A little girl ventures out into the big wide world with an aim to purchase a pet fish. She loses her mother's money and so begins a journey that includes meetings with strangers who are helpful and too good to be true. Cute, adorable... Would have made a great short film!