Outstanding performances from Jennifer Connelly (who’s back-to-front performance in Requiem for a Dream we can never quite get out of our heads!) and Ben Kingsley make this film very much a must-watch.

The City council makes a mistake on Connelly’s taxes and confiscates her home, they then sell this to Kingsley (who is an Iranian political refugee) for the cost of the unpaid taxes. He sets about making a whopper profit on the house. When the mistake is finally sorted out Kingsley will not give the house back.

This film caused a bit of a ripple when it came out with accusations that it was being blatantly racist, posing an Iranian family of refugees “stealing” a home from a red-blooded American. This I think though is a gross misunderstanding of the film which evokes sympathy for both parties, who are victims in their own ways. Thematically the film asks questions about American culture and everything it takes for granted.

I won’t spoil the ending for you, but things escalate throughout the film (as you would expect them to under such circumstances) and the ending will leave you shocked and questioning your own prejudices.