There is a saying in the Buddhist script: "If the heart is dust-free, Prajna is at ease", it is said that if there is no dust in the heart, wisdom will come forward, and everything will be at ease. However, such a state of detachment and unrestrainedness is not something ordinary people can easily reach. The colorful world, red men and green women, bustling with each other, each picture needs. The people in "Dust and Mist Homeland" are no exception. They are imprisoned by the entanglement of the heart demon, and after making the wrong choices again and again, they are on a dead end. They are all kind-hearted ordinary people, but under the easy instigation of fate, they turned against each other. It has never been more than the hardships of life itself that cause separation, resentment, misunderstanding and harm between people. When the dust at the bottom of our heart evolves into the mist in front of us, we will turn a blind eye to the path of light and drift away from the direction of darkness.
When the real dilemma comes, the dilemma of the soul often ensues one after another. The three protagonists of the film, Kathy, Behrani and Lester, are all in this double dilemma. Let me talk about Behrani first. The predicament he faces is not only financial constraints, but also the difficulty of maintaining self-esteem and pride. Although the purpose of becoming a rich man is to let her daughter marry well, it is obvious that all kinds of unaffordable image projects are to protect the colonel's family. The colonel had played a role in the political struggle in Iran and was expelled as a result (although it may be just buying an airplane), he must have had considerable wealth and status. As an authority who used to call the wind and rain, he was used to giving orders and was looked up and obeyed. Now that the tiger is falling into the sun, and the life of leaning on people's breath makes him proud and stubborn. The original meaning of the word "Iran" is noble. Iranians are very strong and believe in jade instead of complete (think of how Ahmadinejad was when he challenged the United States). But pride is really expensive, and when you can’t afford it, it will become a huge burden. You can imagine why the colonel used to report to the foreman when he quit his job. He must have been fed up with that guy’s superiority. Although this educated old man didn’t take the opportunity to vent his scolding, he could tell how happy he was from his knowing smile. Can get rid of this humble job in his view, get rid of the covert embarrassment and humiliation. Pride is the hard dust in the colonel's heart. Because of pride, he couldn't bear the questioning of his wife, the provocation of the sheriff, and the harassment of the untouchables (in his opinion, Kathy was not qualified to speak to himself). Although he is a wise planner and decision maker in most cases, if his pride hadn't convinced him that he would be able to subdue Lester, perhaps he would not encourage his son to take the opportunity to resist. He thinks he is a lion and his opponent is a sheep, but he didn't expect to deal with him not only Lester, but also the destiny who loves to play tricks. Pride is indeed too expensive and cost the life of a loved one. This loving father finally paid too much for his pride, so he punishes himself with painful death. When he humblely prayed to Allah, when he desperately held his wife's hand before his death, his pride disappeared, his self shrank, his lover was on his side, and death could give him comfort.
If the dust in the colonel's heart is pride, then Kathy is fear. She is a cowardly person, and her choice is often to escape the ups and downs in life. She used alcohol to escape reality, lies to escape the questions of relatives and friends, and even suicide to escape suffering. Therefore, when there is a man who can take care of her in life, even if that person already has a wife and children, she will go with the flow and become a junior. She totally relied on Lester, mistakenly thinking that after losing Lester, she would buy wine, take a gun to die, and take medicine to die. This normally passive person is quick to deal with himself and has many methods. When Lester made apparently wrong decisions and illegal acts, she completely let it go, and was not responsible for her own life or other people's families. Although sin is often equal to crime, inaction is sometimes also sin. At the end of the film, Kathy regretted it, but all of this finally made her look straight at a reality that she had resisted before—the house was not hers. Although she lost her house because of a mistake, she has accepted this unfair fact after a heavy baptism. After all, her experience is too insignificant compared to the injustice that happened to the Iranian family.
Lester is a very selfish person. Selfish people often hurt others and benefit themselves. In extreme cases, they will rush for quick success and quick gains. They will use all means to covet immediate benefits and miss long-term happiness. Faced with the tearful pleadings of his wife and children, his determination was chilling. Does Lester have true love for Kathy? Maybe not, but he loves himself more. He was asking for a house for Kathy and arranging the next stop for himself. For his own freedom and enjoyment, he left his wife and children unhesitatingly, and aimed his guns at innocent people. It's just that he was impatient to get rid of the original siege, but he didn't expect to jump into a bigger pit. At the end of the film, he was jailed in remorse and dialed the phone at home, but when he heard it, the happiness of the past was gone forever.
This movie can be regarded as a qualified tragedy. The true tragedy is not an accidental tragedy, but a tragedy of fate. In the chain of causality that ultimately leads to the end of the world, each character has made a key link with inevitable choices and actions in line with his personality. Therefore, the true tragedy is unavoidable, nor does it have to be made by treacherous and evil people. It only needs ordinary people or even good people to fuel the flames. As long as everyone is one step closer to the fragility of human nature and the corner of fate, a breathtaking tragedy will emerge. Everyone in the film has a kind and sympathetic side. They just did many multiple choice questions in life wrong. The teasing of fate and the loss of self make it difficult for them to stay awake. From this point of view, everyone has a tragic side, because the world is difficult and human nature is inherently flawed. Whenever we can remove the dust from the bottom of our hearts, perhaps we can wipe away the fog in front of us, see the world more transparently, and make the world less tragedy.
View more about House of Sand and Fog reviews
