The Colour of Paradise is a breathtaking Iranian masterpiece by the remarkable Majid Majidi himself that tells us about the story of a bright and spirited blind boy named Mohammad. unlike other films with similar premise, The Color of Paradise doesn't ask us to pity Mohammad by showing the struggles that he has to go through, given the condition that he has. instead, it shows how, despite his condition, he possesses remarkable qualities that goes beyond the limit those of people without his condition even dares to imagine. Mohammad's eyes may not function the same way ours do. he might be unable to witness how the leaves rustle, how the river flows so eloquently, or how the birds that he is fond of fly from one tree to another, yet he has his own way of sensing these things, one that feels more instinctive than anything we could imagine. he touches everything his hands can reach, such as the rough, ridged edge of a rock, the crisp bits of an old leaf that falls beneath his feet, the seeds on a stalk of alfalfa, and the wrinkled hand of his dearly beloved grandma that, described in his very own words, feels soft and beautiful. his little hands reach for those objects to decipher the stories or meanings that those things are trying to tell him, something that might not be perceived in just the way a pair of eyes functions. his fingertips explore every side of the things he touches, reading them like a braille book, while his mouth recites the letters he finds there until they form a word or sentence that tingles something in his dear, precious heart. in the tear-jerking scene where Mohammad talk heartfeltly with the carpenter, he recalls what his teacher once told him, "God is not visible. He is everywhere. You can see feel Him. You can see him through your fingertips" that idea is what drives his habit of touching everything within reach, searching for the hand of God, and tells Him every secret he carries. i'm not much of a faithful believer myself, nor am i blessed with the ability to see God in the chilling sensation of the morning breeze or the sun that rises every day like other people might do, but if the said God that Mohammad is reaching for actually does exist, i believe that He has granted Mohammad some gifts as a form of apology for making him suffer from a condition that he never once asked for, one that inflicted wounds a sweet little child like him should never have had to know. Mohammad is granted with a sharp hearing that enables him to hear the sound of the swishing trees, the sound that a woodpecker or any other birds made, or the sound of the rushing river under the bridge that he crosses. other than that, he's also granted with a smart mind. the scene where he helps a fallen little bird get back to its house high up in the tree shows just how smart and brave this little boy is. he bravely climbs the tree and carefully listens to which direction the chirping sound of the bird is coming from, while his hands try to reach for the bird's nest to find where to put the little bird, until he finally reaches the right one. i've truly lost count on how much tissues i've used to wipe my tears while watching this, especially in the scene where Mohammad said that nobody ever loves him, not even his grandma or father, because he's blind. my heart bleeds with him, not even my own heart knows how much i wish i can pull him to my embrace and tells him just how much he's loved to prove him wrong. just as many tears i've shed, my anger also built up so many times whenever Mohammad's father pops up in my screen. i really despise him like how despise my own father, truly. i already hold grudges for him from the very start, how can he has the heart to abandon his own child, a sweet child like Mohammad because he has no money to raise him, while at the same time still has the will to remarry, which of course will costs him just as much or even more? he even dares to think that having to take care of a blind child loke Mohammad as a punishment, as an unfortunate fate written for him by the creator of life himself... can someone please throw a rock at this man's head? i noticed the same pattern regarding Chunhe’s mom in 'Big World' as well. technically their situations are almost identical. both have to take care of a child with special needs, Chunhe has cerebral palsy and Mohammad lacks functional vision, they do all these with little to no help from other people or family members. both mohammad’s dad and chunhe’s mom see this as a tragic fate that should never have happened to them. both also blame their children for having such conditions, dare i say that is total bullshit. however, if we try to see it from their perspectives, we can all agree that raising a child with special needs is indeed not an easy thing to do. an article from The Gottman Institute regarding "Raising Exceptional Families with Special Needs Children" mentions that raising children with special needs is a journey full of questions and self-doubt, and it certainly comes with an immense amount of stress as a consequence of the restless body and mind that must work 24/7. that is perhaps why they eventually break under the pressure and resort to blame as a maladaptive coping mechanism. when a parent feels trapped in a cycle of relentless exhaustion they often lose sight of the child’s humanity. they instead fixate on the burden the condition places on their own lives. by viewing their child as the source of their suffering rather than a person in need of support these parents externalize their internal pain. it is a defense mechanism. admitting that their frustration is misplaced or that they simply lack the necessary emotional or financial resources to cope would require an admission of failure. but, still, i don't think it's the right move to say that about your children, i just don't think all those reason is enough to justify all his reckless actions. if we're to talk about the cinematography, there certainly is no need to doubt Majid Majidi's talent in delivering an exceptional scenery that pleases our eyes while also crying a river at the same time. as what being said as the title, i think The Colour of Paradise is pointing to all the variations of colours that can be seen especially in the scenes that take place in Mohammad's hometown; the green and yellow gradation of the wheat, the orange colour of the old leaves, and the dark green colour of the scattered trees that can be seen everywhere around the village. outside the visible objects, that Mohammad can't see, i think the colours can also be 'seen' through the things that Mohammad hears; the laughter of his sisters that maybe sparks a bright yellow colour, the soft and loving voice of his grandma which likely manifests as a warm and comforting gold. he interprets the world through textures and vibrations transforming the rustic village into a vibrant tapestry that exists only for him. Majidi uses these auditory cues to bridge the gap between Mohammad's inner world and the external landscape. those artistic choice forces like the sound of the river or the rustling leaves forces the audience to stop relying on their own sight and start listening with the same intensity that he does. it's almost as if it suggests that paradise is not a place defined only by visual beauty but also a state of being where one can find harmony in the raw and unfiltered sounds of nature. regarding the acting i think all the actors do an excellent job especially the talented young actor mohsen ramezani who plays mohammad. his acting is so natural that it makes me feel like i am watching a documentary of someone’s real life instead of a movie. some of the reviews that i stumbled upon on letterboxd said that ramezani was not acting in the scene where he talked to the carpenter, he cried real tears there. oh my sweet child... to sum it all up, i'd surely say it will 100% worth your time if you dares to watch it. it's also easy to find since you can find it for free on YouTube!