Where is My Friend's Home is a film about children and education, but I prefer to think of it as a film about the conflict between the world of children and the world of adults. From the beginning of the film, there is a contradiction between the adult world and the children's world, although neither side realizes this contradiction. The teacher told Mohammed that the next time he didn't write his homework in the workbook, he would be fired. This kind of unthinking threat from adults can be seen everywhere in childhood, just like the familiar "If you don't obey your mother, I won't let you." ', which is just an easy-to-follow control method for adults. They never know how much weight these casual words carry in the hearts of children. They never cared about the feelings of children. The protagonist in the film takes the teacher's words very seriously, and is afraid that his good friend will be fired, so he goes to look for his friend's home, which leads to this film.
The film maps out a lot of educational issues. Divided into hardware (economic), software (cultural tradition) issues. In terms of hardware, it can be seen that Iran is a poor country. Children have no desks and chairs, and they write on the carpet when they do homework. Dilapidated houses and dilapidated classrooms. The children in the film also help with household chores. This is also a clue. The protagonist takes care of his younger brother, buys bread, meets a classmate who is carrying milk on the road, and finally sees a classmate who moves a window. Along the way, this clue has not been broken. The conflict finally erupts at the end of the film: a student who hurts his back while helping at home is unable to do his homework. Let's see what the teacher said: the main task of the student is to study, the first two times are acceptable, and the third time he refuses to help with homework. We know that this is the teacher's helpless words. In a poor family, why should a child refuse the parent's request? Here, the director exposes the contradictions of education in the adult world: wanting children to be obedient and disciplined; and wanting them to reject the demands of their parents.
The biggest problem with software is: traditional suppression. From every detail it can be seen that the whole adult world is trying to instill the word discipline into the next generation. Grandma did not forget to demonstrate when she went upstairs, telling the protagonist to take off her shoes when going upstairs. Grandpa's remarks were even more punctual, and when facing the page of the workbook about to be torn off, he did not say a word, like a docile little sheep. This is the evil result of their generation's education. The protagonist can be seen as a rebel against the adult world. At first, I resisted my mother's words and went to my friend's house. On the way, I faced the indifferent grandparents who insisted on their own problems and requirements again and again, and resisted adults tearing a piece of paper from my friend's workbook. Kindness, persistence, these are what the adult world should instill in the next generation. Even the final ending, I think, is a reflection of the good qualities of the protagonist. Don't get caught up in the word "honesty." It can be seen that the protagonist is not afraid of the authority of adults and has his own opinions, which is what real education should give.
Postscript: The film was shot in 1984, when China was even more impoverished at the same time. Both are two ancient civilizations with splendid cultures and are in Asia. Now that China is rising, Iran is still poor, which is very emotional. Where is Iran's home?
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