In the film, Tareque's childhood experience is revealed against the backdrop of 1969 Mass uprising in East Pakistan on the eve of Bangladesh Liberation War.
[3] The autobiographical film, set against the backdrop of the director's childhood, is based on the life story which is pictured by a teenage character named Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu).
His mother, Ayesha (Rokeya Prachy) was once a spirited girl, but after her marriage, she becomes sullen in subservience to her fundamentalist husband.
Kazi's younger brother Milon is involved in local politics who protesting against Pakistan's military rule.
The film depicts the culture of secular Bengal, such as folk-songs, Puthi recitation, Chaitra Sankranti or Charak Puja, embroidery, rural fairs, Bahas etc.
At the Madrasa, Anu met and befriended Rokon (Russell Farazi), an outcast student, who invites him to play catch with an imaginary ball.
Suddenly his younger sister Asma falls ill and dies because of Kazi's refusal to use modern medicines.
On the other hands, at the Madrasa Rokon suffer an eccentric misfit and forced by the headmaster to undergo an exorcism by ducking in the freezing pond to cure himself of Jinn.
As the political upheaval reached a critical stage, internal crises began to occur in Anu's family.
The film, which focuses on religious liberalism, cultural diversity and the incomprehensibility of Islam, has universal relevance in a troubled world.
Masood and Catherine invested almost their entire savings in projects involving ambitious massive seasonal shooting and timing publication design.
The characters made up entirely of non-professional actors, including street children, Madrasa students-teachers, rural folk musicians and villagers.
[11] The film was also shot on actual locations in rural settings and small towns in Dhamrai and Faridpur, during all winter, monsoon and spring seasons.
[24] After the initial screening at Cannes, the film got international press coverage for its positive portrayal of Bangladesh as well as its tolerant traditions.
Tareq and Catherine Masud brought a case against the ban in the Bangladesh Supreme Court, Appellate Division, and the decision in their favor was reversed.
Masud's expansive fluidity is rapturous, inspired equally by the floating equanimity of Satyajit Ray and the work of the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who deftly uses ritual behavior to provide social commentary."
"[32] According to The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday, the low-cost film captures the lyricism of life in Bangladesh's waterways and cities, some scenes reminiscent of Jean Renoir's 1951 classic Le Fleuve.
[33] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe stated that the connection between personal, political and spiritual instability is revealed with the pure imagination of the autopsy.
Michael O'Sullivan commented in a review of The Washington Post that The Clay Bird hits a number of beautiful and lazy trends about the human condition.
American journalist and historian Elliott Stein said, "The Clay Bird recalls the empathy for childhood's innocence and lust for living—as well as the visual rapture and naturalness—of Satyajit Ray's great Pather Panchali.
"[38] According to the BBC's Jamie Russell, Anu skillfully created an increasingly gentle portrait of Masud during his transition through childhood.
[40] Jamal Malik, a professor of German Islamic Studies of Pakistani descent, said the story of Matir Moina is presented in a textual structure similar to European art cinema.
[44][45] On 16 June 2004, the film was released on DVD (only for Region 2) by its French producer, distributor and world sales representative mk2 under Warner Bros. Home Entertainment France.