She is 12 years old. She lives with her parents and younger brother and sister. She can handle daily chores like any other young girl living in Iran. However, she is not your typical girl next door.

What differentiates her from the others is her determination to educate herself and achieve her goals in life. Welcome to Hayat's world- a world full of challenges which she faces with wisdom that belies her age. 

Hayat is a one hour 20 minute movie directed by Ghulam Reza Ramezani from Iran. The story is that of a young girl (Hayat) who finds herself baby-sitting her younger sister Nabat (Mohammad Sa'eed Babakhanlo) when her father takes ill.

This unfortunately happens just before she is to answer an important exam that could give her a shot at further education. The movie unfolds as she tries her best to balance baby-sitting and studying for her exam. Her journey from her home to the exam hall is a fascinating one that expertly blends in a variety of emotions - frustration, anger, indecision, irritation and fear.

The reconciliation between Hayat's duty towards her sister and her desire to answer the exam comes together beautifully at the end.

Ghazaleh Parsafar as Hayat is a star kid in the making. Her emotions are so well portrayed that they could be understood without the need of subtitles. Her younger brother Akbar (Mehrdad Hassani) is a delight in every sense.

His fight with Hayat's friend Fatemeh, his fear of the 'hostile' neighbourhood dogs, his confidence in his wonderful voice are wonderfully endearing. His attempt to leave class by 'wetting' his pants so that he can help Hayat is amusing. Akbar provides the humour in this otherwise sensitive film. The baby Nabat shows a definite affinity towards the camera with her winks and smiles that convey her 'dialogues'.

The word Hayat means life, but the movie is an echo of the life of every human being. It talks about life that can change from good to bad in an instant. Hayat in a sense is a lesson on how children, too, can deal with the challenges that come their way, probably better than adults.

The brilliant thing about Hayat is that it sends across subtle messages without being preachy. Hayat's confidence in herself and her intelligence shines through in the scenes in which she does her calculations and other revision in her head even while going through her daily chores.

Education for girls in today's world is still a much debated topic in many countries. Many still believe in the traditional view that girls should stay at home and take care of the family. Hayat's perseverance and determination to get educated against all odds is commendable.

The director sends a strong message through his film that girls should work towards educating themselves. In the words of one of the viewers of the film, it is very human. If you want a slice of life that is very real, then go see Hayat's story.

(Hayat was filmed at the Godrej Dance Academy Theatre as part of an ongoing Worldkids International Film Festival. The next film will be screened on the first Saturday of August).