Children of Heaven
After a boy loses his sister's pair of shoes, he goes on a series of adventures in order to find them. When he can't, he tries a new way to "win" a new pair.
Directed by Majid Majidi · Drama · Family · Sport · 89 min · 1999
Trailer
Director
Majid Majidi
Writer
Majid Majidi
Studio
Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults
Release
22 Jan 1999
Runtime
89 min
Genres
Drama, Family, Sport
Full Plot
Zahra's shoes are gone; her older brother Ali lost them. They are poor, there are no shoes for Zahra until they come up with an idea: they will share one pair of shoes, Ali's. School awaits. Will the plan succeed?
Cast & Characters
Father
Reza Naji
Ali
Amir Farrokh Hashemian
Zahra
Bahare Seddiqi
Mother
Fereshte Sarabandi
Ali's teacher
Dariush Mokhtari
Roya
Nafise Jafar-Mohammadi
Roya's father
Mohammed-Hasan Hosseinian
Alireza
Mohammed-Hossein Shahidi
Grandfather
Kazem Asqarpoor
Sugar seller
Christopher Maleki
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $180,000, Children of Heaven has grossed $925,402 worldwide — about 5.1x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Did You Know that filming was kept secret to capture a more realistic image of the city?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that the production costs were estimated at US$180,000?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that it won several national film awards after its premiere in February 1997?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Did You Know that it earned $933,933 at the US box office and a worldwide total of $1,628,579?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13
Critical Assessment
Children of Heaven holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (89,248 votes), 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.2/10 on IMDb (89,248 votes), 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Children of Heaven's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Children of Heaven holds a 83% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Children of Heaven's IMDb rating?+
Children of Heaven has a 8.2/10 rating on IMDb from 89,248 votes.
What is Children of Heaven's Metacritic score?+
Children of Heaven has a Metascore of 77/100 on Metacritic.
Is Children of Heaven good? What are critics saying?+
Children of Heaven holds 8.2/10 on IMDb (89,248 votes), 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Children of Heaven?+
Children of Heaven has a runtime of 89 min.
Who directed Children of Heaven?+
Children of Heaven was directed by Majid Majidi.
Where can I watch Children of Heaven?+
Children of Heaven is available to stream, rent, or buy on JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The public reaction to the movie "Children of Heaven" has been mixed. Some reviewers appreciate its wholesome tone and heartstrings-drawing premise, while others express concern about mature themes and content that may not be suitable for young audiences. Overall, the film is being praised by cinephiles for its portrayal of family values and Indonesian culture.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
<em>'Children of Heaven'</em> is quite sad in parts, though it ends up being rather wholesome in actuality. This 1997 flick features a simple premise but one that doesn't fail to draw at the heartstrings, I was immediately hooked into caring as soon as the youngsters appeared. Am…
r96sk · 9/10
From the trailer's comments
Semoga dapat diterima semuanya, ini film dimasa kecilku🥹
@munifbaryakbar6638 · 54 likesFilm film begini perlu diperbanyak, jangan horor atau kekerasan aja. Kami sekeluarga sudah nonton bareng anak-anak,. Seru anak-anak suka. Banyak nilai-nilai akhlak yang bisa diambil. Orang tua tidak kuatir ada adegan yang merusak yang tidak pantas ditonton anak-anak.
@tholabulkhoir9589 · 98 likesHarus nonton bersama anak anak ni, Biar tau betapa penuh perjuangan kalo pengen sesuatu itu, biar tambah bersyukur nya lagi
@AmirulHidayat-d4z · 19 likesManoj punjabi please do find a indian distributor and release this gem of a movie in indian cinemas as well .we cinephiles are rooting for magical indonesian cinema..
@AbhinayKrishna4 · 14 likesjangan lupa bawa tissue ges. yang punya anak kecil wajib diajak
@nugrohotri3134 · 19 likesKlo soal cerita sepatu begini, jadi ingat masa kecil dulu😢 sedikit cerita dulu gua pengen banget jadi pemain bola dan ingin bermain bola memakai sepatu bola, bukan nya ga mampu beli sepatu tapi gua gamau menyusahkan keluarga gua akhirnya gua mencoba bikin sepatu bola custom mema…
@Dika01_77 · 28 likesjujur, filmnya sangat2 bagus, cocok untuk mengajarkan karakter baik untuk anak2..film2 seperti ini yang seharusnya diperbanyak...kami orang tua sangat mendukung, ayo mas hanung bikin lagi film inspiratif seperti ini..keren
@hasanumarcreative1662 · 6 likesSy penggemar children of heaven versi asli awal 2000an Sangat bagus akting Ali dan Zahra...apalagi stlh sepatu terjatuh di kali, kt2 Zahra ke Ali...sngat nelongso, sy merasakannya sbgi ortu😢😢
@septyprianti3319 · 29 likes
