Kelty and I just watched The Color of Paradise (1999) by Iranian film director Majid Majidi. It is a beautiful story of an 8-year-old boy born blind, and his father, whose misfortunes in life have left him with little reason to believe in a merciful or kind God. The story ends unexpectedly, but gave us a sense of hope that there might be healing to come soon in their lives.

One of the most visually impressive aspects of this film is the countryside itself. I had no idea Iran’s mountainous regions were so beautiful. As our friend Victoria put it, “I thought Iran was a desert!” Majidi seems to use his films to show his optimism and the beauty he’s seen in life—much like an earlier age in America when theater was more innocent. Of the films I’ve seen from him, all are clean and uplifting.