The Girl in the Sneakers

Running time: 110 mins

"Suggesting an Iranian spin on Romeo and Juliet, but with the notion of tragic, unconditional love replaced by cynicism, director Rassul Sadr Ameli's The Girl in the Sneakers makes for an extremely delightful addition to the burgeoning canon of exciting new films from the Middle East." - Scott Foundas, Variety. It is a tale about Aideen and Tadai, a young teenage couple, one rebelling against her parents and the harsh structure of the Islamic culture; the other, a wistful daydreamer. Whichever way they are viewed, however, they are in love. Their bubble soon bursts with the intervention of a police officer who arrests Aideen on suspicion that he has deflowered the young Tadai, and their naivety turns to comprehension that it is not easy to run away from one's culture. The Girl in the Sneakers is an exceptional depiction of modern life in Iran as well as a compelling satire on the foolhardiness of youth and world cruelty. Taking place in that nebulous space between happy-go-lucky adolescence and maturity, Ameli's remarkably poetic fable neither embraces nor condemns teenage idealism. Instead the film celebrates the journey of the human spirit. Reviewed by Ed Soohoo