BY CONOR HILTON
The Color of Paradise is an Iranian film that exemplifies the best in Iranian cinema. The film won numerous international critic’s awards and has been called a ‘masterpiece’ (2). Freedom has long fascinated human kind and is often strived for by characters that we all know. As American’s, freedom may too often be associated with a revolution and acts of violence, when it can be more of a state of being, unrelated to physical condition. The Color of Paradise explores the theme of freedom through contrast of father and son, symbolism, and the use of sound.
The contrast of widowed father and sightless son throughout the film examines the theme of freedom. The son Mohammad, who is blind, while physically imprisoned is free in heart, in contrast to his father, who has no physical handicap and would be considered by society to be free, whose heart is bound. Mohammad is unable to see anything but has a positive attitude towards life. He is on break from a boarding school for the blind, but attends school with his sister. He reads the lesson better than the other children do, showing that he has freedom of knowledge and learning. The father shows no love for anything in life and only works. He arrives late to pick up Mohammad from school, leaving him waiting long past the other children. Later they stop at a beach and the father ties Mohammad to a stick so he won’t fall in the ocean, while he sits on a rock smoking a cigarette. The carelessness the father shows towards Mohammad is also shown in almost everything the father does. The boy’s blindness furthers the point that freedom goes beyond physically being able to do things. His father is perfectly capable of doing whatever he desires, but is restricted because of his narrow focus on material things. The father ignores his mother and children as he seeks a new wife. He focuses entirely on himself while Mohammad looks to others first. While in the field with his grandmother, Mohammad grabs her hands and tells her they are beautiful and white- when in reality they are calloused and covered in dirt. Mohammad sees past the physical appearance, to the truth within.
Symbolism is used throughout the film, but two main symbols are the most effective in conveying the ideal of freedom. The symbol of the bird is prevalent throughout the movie. Near the beginning of the film, Mohammad is exploring a forest and hears the cry of a baby bird. The bird had fallen from its nest, where Mohammad returns it. The baby bird symbolizes Mohammad’s journey throughout the film. He is currently helpless but sees more than others and will eventually return home, to heaven, and reach true freedom. As Mohammad’s grandmother dies two symbols are present, white light and birds. The birds symbolize the freedom she is achieving that she didn’t have in life, while the light represents the peace associated with the completion of a fulfilling life and the departure for heaven. These symbols reappear at the end of the film as Mohammad’s father holds his dying body. A flock of birds flies overhead showing that Mohammad is finally free from the prison of his blind body. A bright light also rests on Mohammad’s hand showing once again death and heaven. Mohammad has left this world becoming truly free and reaching peace.
Sound is used extensively throughout the film to add to the theme. Little music is present to evoke emotions in the viewer, this task being left almost entirely up to the sounds of nature. The sound of the birds is also representative of freedom as their cry is heard before they are visualized, also showing that freedom is heard and coming before it actually arrives. The sound of freedom can also be more motivating than the actual sight, as it is the sound of the bird that draws Mohammad, not the sight. At the end of the movie as Mohammad’s father stands on the bridge, the sound of rushing water is overwhelming, as are his feelings and confusion. The father does not know whether he should save his son and is struggling within. Throughout the film the father is associated with loud noises, an ax chopping wood, a bus driving, rushing water, etc. These harsh sounds are also caused, to some extent, by man adding another layer to the symbolism of sound. The manmade noises represent attachment to materials, again showing how the father is bound to the things of the world. Whereas Mohammad is associated with quiet peaceful sounds like the chirping of birds or crickets, representing the peace that Mohammad has. These peaceful sounds are also naturally occurring representing Mohammad’s freedom from material things in sharp contrast with that of his father. Sound adds to the texture of the film and the theme of freedom that is being conveyed.
I was moved by the film. I appreciated the difference from Hollywood blockbuster fare and the focus on the characters, as well as the symbolism contained within. New things became apparent to me that I had not noticed before and I had an increased appreciation of the gift of sight as well as awareness of sound. The film is honest in it’s portrayal of life’s horrors. Nothing is sweetened for the audience’s protection, helping the integrity of the message. I have gained a deeper understanding of what freedom actually is from the discoveries of the characters in the film. Any physical or emotional limitations are not relevant to achieving true freedom. The movie showed that sometimes those who have it the worst are actually the best off, something that I knew, but didn’t fully appreciate until I watched the film. The Color of Paradise proves that freedom is unrelated to our physical condition, but rather a state of mind.
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