Children of Heaven (1997)

Amir Farrokh Hashemian accidentally loses his sister’s shoes, so the two children concoct a plan to share the one pair they still have between them until they can figure a way to replace the missing set. It’s a simple story that perfectly captures the daily life of these children, aware of the issues of the adults around them but more worried about their own concerns. The acting of the children is believably natural and their poor Tehran neighborhood offers a fully realized setting and is beautifully shown.

Oscar Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film