The House is Black vs Sin

It's difficult to put into words the emotion and heartache one feels while watching The House is Black or reading some poems from Sin. It seems as if Forugh Farrokhzad is trying to show both sides of each story. She captivates her audience and forces them to feel the emotions she is feeling.

On one hand in The House is Black, Farrokhzad displays the trials and struggles of everyday life in a leper colony. The people in this society are ostracized from the rest of the world. The disease has crippled them and some cannot perform everyday activities. The way she portrays them, with quick frames and repetitions, is almost as if the film is a poem in itself. She narrated it as if she was reciting poetry and used her voice to emphasize emotion. Some frames were more emphasized than others, causing one to focus on that frame and feel exactly what that person is feeling. One particular scene, a man is pacing back and forth along a wall, grazing and tapping the wall with his hand. It shows the man is trapped by the disease, and has no path to follow. There is no where else for him to go.

On the other hand, Farrokhzad emphasizes the faith and spirit these people have. There are many scenes of people praising God and thanking Him for what they have. Whether they worship together or praise alone, they have faith and spirit to hold on to, even if their situation is not a pleasant one. The people, children especially, all come together as a community as well. They play together, dance together, and just spend time with each other in general. While being so secluded from the world in this type of community, I suppose the only thing to hold on to is each other.

The way she portrays this film is similar to many poems in Sin. Some poems are filled with sorrow, with her losing her son she felt empty. Her divorce also filled her with loneliness and grief. These emotions can be seen in the people of the leper colony as well. She can empathize with their emotions. Farrokhzad also has poems of joy. She has a poem titled "I Will Greet the Sun Again" where she shows an emotion of hope. The people in the film display actions of hope and joy while praising and worshiping their God. She connects her poems very well with her film.