aled-6

This movie resonated with me on two levels. As a kid I was evacuated from London and planted on unwilling hosts in a country village. While I escaped the bombing and had experiences which produced treasured memories (for example hearing a nightingale sing one dark night for the very first time) and enjoying a life I never could have had in London, I missed my family and worried about them. Tom is an old man whose wife and child have both died and who lives alone in a small country village.As an old man who is now without a wife whose kids have gotten married and live far away in another province, I am again sometime lonely. The boy's mother is a religious fanatic with very odd ideas of raising a child. Since a deep affection has grown between old Tom Oakley and this young lad, Tom goes in search of him and finally rescues him from very odd and dangerous circumstances. At the end of the story there is great tension since due to some bureaucratic ruling it seems that the child is going to lose someone who has developed a loving relationship with him.

This child, a boy of about 8, takes a friend's homework book home in error and fearful that his mistake will prevent another boy from doing his homework which will result in his pal's expulsion from school and thus the loss of a friendship tries to return the book. First however and this is only the first of the many problems he encounters he must persuade busy parents who will not listen to allow him to leave the house and return the book.

He sneaks off and then although he has only a vague idea of where his friend lives attempts to find the house which is in another village some distance away. The journey is long and night is falling; he meets mostly uncooperative adults on the way. I was amazed at determination of this very serious young boy to prevent the expulsion of the friend. You will gain good incites from this movie into the lifestyles of both adults and children in a rural part of Iran where the nature of the terrain makes travel difficult. He doesn't find the house but does succeed in solving the problem in his own unique way. If you like movies about kids you will enjoy this one.