Reza Parsa, an Iranian émigré who lives and works in Sweden, made his directorial debut with this drama about a Middle Eastern man confronted with the unpleasant legacies of his past. Ali (Per Graffman) has settled in Sweden with his wife Clara (Maria Lundqvist), daughters Sara (Sasha Becker) and Jenny (Anni Ececioglu), and a certain peace of mind. But Ali also has a past; before he moved to Sweden, Ali fought with a guerrilla terrorist group and had a wife (Mina Azarian) and son (Ashkan Ghods) who died in a skirmish with government troops. At least that's what Ali thought had happened, before an elderly woman calling herself "The Courier" (Nasrin Pakkho) appears on his doorstep to remind him of his long-buried past. She presents Sara with a package containing a video cassette of Ali's first wife and son held captive by terrorists, as well as a severed finger and a wedding band. Ali is shocked by the discovery that his loved ones are alive, and startled by the demands of the kidnappers, who want him to assassinate a Swedish businessman (Claes Ljungmark) working with the repressive leadership of Ali's former homeland. Fore Stormen received its American premiere at the 2000 San Sebastian Film Festival.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
