Mum’s Guest
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Mum’s Guest – Gently biting social comedy on the shared expectations of Persian hospitality. A mother of a poor family has guests coming for dinner, yet doesn’t know how to get the dinner party organized without calling in the resources of the whole neighborhood, centered on the communal courtyard of their traditional apartment building.
Director: Dariush Mehrjui (2004) / Run Time: 103 min.
Awards/Festivals:
- Fajr Film Festival- Crystal Simorgh for Best Film, 2004
3 responses to “Mum’s Guest”
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Such a fun film! All the neighbors come from different situations but pull together to help. Loved seeing the culture come through on things like how the communal courtyard was used and shared, the food preparation and the social obligations that the characters try to uphold to one another.
If I had to choose a locally recognized word or phrase to describe what I feel about this movie, I would say, “Aloha” or the “spirit of aloha.” All and all, what happens at Ma-mun’s (Mother) house is without a doubt a universal concept. It could happen in Hawaii or any place else with strong social values invested in a tightly knitted network of relationships amongst families and friends.
President Obama, in his last Iranian New Year’s message to the Iranian people, recited an old and famous Persian poem by the 13th century poet, Saadi. Saadi says: “The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, having been created of one essence. When the calamity of time affects one limb, the other limbs cannot remain at rest. If thou hast no sympathy for the troubles of others, thou art unworthy to be called by the name of man.” Well, perhaps that is what happens in this movie.
Some Iranians, may remember the old Iranian TV series, “Khaneh Ghamar Khanoom” (Mrs. Ghamar’s House). While the setting may be similar to that of the “Ghamar’s Hourse,” the relationships and inner dynamics of this small community of people living in the same house are a lot deeper.
Labeling this movie as “social comedy” may be accurate. On the other hand, I am not sure, if the non-iranian audience would see it as a comedy without feeling a bit guilty about it. As an Iranian-American Movie enthusiast with years of experience watching both Iranian and non-Iranian movies from around the word, I would like to reassure you that in my opinion, Dariush Mehrjui wants you to laugh and have a good time while watching the movie’s main and minor characters manage to come through when they are needed to play a part in a noble and common goal, Let’s have a festive party for Ma-Mun’s dear guests.
Oh, yes. I can also think of the making of a “Stone Soup!” Small world! Yes?
I was very intrigued yesterday hearing Dr. Norma Claire Moruzzi’s talk about how the size of the city of Tehran has doubled over a short period of time, thus the change between the single-family home to apartment living. One thing I loved about “Mum’s Guest” is the blur between common and private space and how they affect the community within it. The courtyard was a shared space for chicken to wander, children to play, preparing food and have gatherings. When privacy was needed, it didn’t seem unusual for Mum’s husband to entertain his guests in a neighbors room. Spaces were shared and it only seemed to strengthen relationships. I am now very eager to watch “The Lodgers” because from what I heard, it sounds like a foil to this movie where people scheme amongst themselves in the privacy of their own apartment units to the demise of the building as a whole!