When Kasim is at fault for allowing an ostrich to escape at his job at the ostrich farm he is fired. With his daughter in need of a new hearing aid Kasim travels to the city (Tehran) where he becomes a Motorcycle Taxi Driver. Kasim begins making money by the fistful and collecting useful items from a scrapheap at a construction site in the city. Its not long before he is lost in a world of materialism and loses touch with custom and alienates himself from his family and neighbors. Something must change before Kasim is lost for good.

As a foreign film from a culture not many Americans know or understand The Song of the Sparrows loses quite a bit in the culture clash. Being subtitled in English the film seems to have a deep intellectual touch to it which unfortunately is lost in the films physical translation leaving a viewer, like myself, to cling to what we understand. The logical moralities are present in the film but the degree in which they are presented is very foreign so I didn’t get a lot of what was going on. It was simply a slow moving film that had minor ups and downs but to me, on a surface level, went nowhere but where you would expect it to go.

On a philosophical level, an aspect I did not get until after I sat down and put my mind to what it was that I might be missing I did discover the films obvious metaphorical touch. Its simplicity allows it to be easily missed but Kasim’s life is in parallel throughout with that of the escaped Ostrich. Its not a complete wow factor, this revelation, but it does give the film a little merit. In philosophical terms we see Kasim’s own escape, his life outside of constriction, but also moments of discovery for Kasim as he realizes that he is no longer the man he once was and the power of his mistake which was to allow the ostrich to go free. Its all there as plain as day but you have to see it and understand it.

Side plots don’t always match up but are interesting but on a whole the film simply alienated itself by creating a more personable presentation that would effect only a culture relying on a weak plot substance. Its hard to say who will and wont find deeper meaning. You have to give yourself to the film and stick with it even when it feels as if its going nowhere. Would I suggest it as a rainy day film? Probably not. Like I said to much seems lost in translation and not enough of the plot is geared towards a universal feel. Also, with no bonus features whatsoever you have to come to your own conclusions and if you cannot connect with the film you may find in the end that its just not that important enough to spend anymore of your time deciphering the film. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.