Rating: 
Summary: One of the five best of 2003!
Review: If you can take extreme sadness and tragedy then you'll love "House of Sand and Fog," a powerful drama from first-time director Vadim Perelman. It's about a fight, basically. A verbal, psychological, and, eventually, physical fight over a house that is needed desparately by two people: Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Conally), who is wrongly evicted from her dead father's home (passed down to her) after failing to pay taxes that she shouldn't have been charged for in the first place; and Mr. Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a former Colonal from Iran who fled his country with his wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and teenage son. And as they fight ruthlessly over the home, a third person comes into the picture: a man named Lester (Ron Eldard), a person left empty in an unhappy relaitionship wanting to find true love. And he finds this in Kathy, and will stop at nothing to get the house back for her (in an attempt to completely win her over). Ethics, law, and (most importantly) culture play into the story that all falls into a pit of despair and sadness. What's best about the film is the acting. Kingsley is incredibly convincing and makes every bit of his storyline and personality ultimately real. Conally, also, makes her emotions and life seem disturbingly (and sadly) realistic. Both were so good, in fact, that they equally deserve nominations for this year's Acadamy Awards. But the one performer who most deserves an Oscar is Shohreh Aghdashloo, an actress unknown to us in America (she is famous in Iran, apparantly). She steals every scene she's in, such as the silent, awkward feeling of being in a room with Kathy or her pain and suffering over Behrani's bad decisions. You can feel her emotion run through your body and out your eyes in the form of tears, tears of pity. And that is her advantage for the Oscars this year (hopefully). She is the one character anyone can sympathize for in every situation. She does nothing wrong, and must sit and watch everything around her fall apart, a helpless feeling I'm sure no one ever wants to feel. She was truly amazing. The director, Vadim Perelman, swoops into the entertainment scene with an amazing debut, a la Todd Field in 2001 with his first movie, "In the Bedroom." Actually, that film and this one are connected in backstory: They are both based off of prose written by someone from the Dubus family line. If you see this, there's no doubt you'll be watching out for him. He's an obvious talent, making a tragic story such as this all the more effective. I must also point out two technical aspects of the film: the score and cinematography. The score is the best I've heard all year. It is obviously inspired from both cultures portrayed in the movie, and adds tension and emotion where needed. The cinematography is, in a word, mesmerizing (sp?). There are constant shots of fog and ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge that come off as beautiful, but dark, perfectly expressing the tone of the film. One shot that stayed with me throughout was of a stone birdbath filled with green, murky water with nothing but a white feather floating calmly in its center. Words can't express what it made me feel. It was, simply, haunting. So the bottom line is that you'll enjoy this if you appreciate great acting, a powerful story, and can take tragedy after tragedy after tragedy, something the critics found over-the-top. But if you add everything up towards the end and have a pretty good understanding of backrounds and both cultures viewed from both POV's in the film, then you'll find it logical and purely powerful. I hope I've helped with this review and I hope you enjoy "House of Sand and Fog" as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Lives of desperation collide
Review: Penn, Crowe, Murray, Hopkins and the rest that might think they deserve the Best Actor Oscar for the 2003 film year, forget it. The most deserving of that honor, Ben Kingsley, is right here in THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, a story of three lives that collide like a 3-way train wreck. Kingsley is Massoud Amir Behrani, a former colonel in the service of the Iranian Shah. Forced to flee the country after the fall of the monarch, Behrani now works two jobs - convenience store clerk by night and road maintenance worker by day - to try and stem the slow drain of his savings being spent on the expensive lifestyle that his wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is used to. Perusing the paper, he sees an moneymaking opportunity in the public auction of a house confiscated by the county to pay back taxes. Massoud intends to buy the place on the cheap, fix it up, and sell it at the going market rate. Behrani is a proud man determined to regain his self-respect and the Good Life for his family. By maintaining a facade of affluence, he's already managed to marry his daughter off to another wealthy and respectable Iranian emigre. Now, he needs to put his son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout) through college. Unfortunately, the home is owned by Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly), who inherited it from her father eight months previous. Kathy is a recovering alcoholic, who failed to deal with the county bureaucracy when she had the chance, and now it's too late to stop the sale. She's evicted, has nowhere to go, no friends, no nearby family, no money, and is truly on the edge. Into this volatile mix comes Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard), who's the police deputy assigned the uncomfortable task of tossing Nicolo into the street. Burdened by a marriage gone bad, Lester is seduced by Kathy's beauty and vulnerability, and he becomes her champion to the exclusion of common sense and professionalism. (With men, what else is new?) Burdon aside, who's basically a fool guided by his gonads, the viewer will have to decide whom to back - Massoud or Kathy - because this intelligently scripted film doesn't favor one over the other even as the confrontation escalates beyond all bounds of rationality. There's no Hero or Villain. But for good fortune and good toilet training, you or I could be in either position. In emotional intensity, even Sean Penn's performance in MYSTIC RIVER can't match Kingsley's here. There's a scene towards the end in a local hospital that'll knock your socks off, and for which alone Kingsley deserves Best Actor. HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is one of the very best films of 2003, and deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Rating:
Summary: Film of Power and Dread
Review: Only see this movie if you can handle tragedy, but do see it if you appreciate strong film-making. Instead of thrills or amusement, House of S&F offers the chance to see two actors at their very best, and to catch an extraordinary talent at the beginning of his directing career. I think both Kingsley and Connelly deserve Oscar consideration for their work here, and it's hard to believe Vadim Perelman is a first-time director. He has shaped such a remarkably subtle and powerful film. Other reviewers have already done a good job of telling about the film's arc toward its tragic conclusion. There is one frustrating and significant moment when things could have turned out better (perhaps), but they only get worse. Rather than repeat what others have said, let me comment on a few less obvious aspects of House of S&F's greatness. The characters are all very honest with each other, even when facing devastating consequences. I felt that was rare in a modern movie. The drama builds in a careful way that's essentially free of Hollywood cliches. The subtle touches are prevalent in the story, the visuals, and even the understated and effective score by James Horner. It all makes the conclusion hit even harder. I already watch for movies by Connelly and Kingsley (a different "Benifer" acting combo)- now I will add Mr. Perelman to the "must see" list.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best of 2003.
Review: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, directed by first-time filmmaker Vadim Perelman from a screenplay he helped adapt from an Andre Dubus novel, is a story of people who are only at conflict because they see their troubles and desperation as tantamount over those who oppose them. The fight in the film concerns a seaside house and what it represents to those who claim ownership over it. The movie establishes a conflict between its two main characters where neither side outweighs the other, and neither side is entirely wrong. Anti-American and racial sentiments fuel the conflict, and the film acknowledges that - but this isn't just a film about racism. It's about characters whose very natures we come to understand. It, through its visuals and through the uniformly terrific ensemble of actors, also establishes a group of strong core characters, people that you empathize with so much that you cannot choose sides regarding the fight over the house. But, because both sides are desperate and at an impasse, the entire film spirals, like a thriller, toward its tragic, nearly inevitable conclusion. (Certainly, in real life, things might not have turned out as bad as things did for these characters at the end, some might say. But the characters in HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG remain true to their natures, true to their flaws, so it ends the way that it does and feels right.) Jennifer Connelly is terrific in this film. Ron Eldard, playing a character central to the dark turn the film takes, is impressive, making his character so despicable that you hate him, knowing the conclusions he'll jump to before he does. (The last film that generated this sort of response from me was A SIMPLE PLAN, where you could feel that the characters were going to screw up - yet you couldn't help but watch them do it.) Ben Kingsley, who is British and yet is able to transform himself completely in every role, is absolutely amazing as Behrani. The layers of innate goodness, personal pride, potential for violence and paternal instinct necessary to make the character work are all on display here. Kingsley's work is always good, and HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG ranks among the best work he's ever done. The actors playing his wife and son in the film match Kingsley's brilliance in nearly every scene. I'm amazed Vadim Perelman has never made a film before. This film is accomplished, sad and incredibly moving.
Rating:
Summary: House of Sand and Fog; The Anti Hollywood Movie
Review: There are movies that stick with you, and don't leave. This was one of them. The movie is dark, forboding, Shakesperian, no less of a tragedy than King Lear. None of the major characters are evil. In fact, in their own way, each is capable of vast degrees of compassion. But, in the end, the compassion doesn't save their souls. The last few scenes of the movie are devistating. This is an honest movie. It doesn't make any attempt to force an ending. I watched the faces of the people as they left the theater. There was complete quiet. It was as if they had just left from a funeral of a loved one. The reason. . .they all had the opportunity to feel sympathetic towards each of the characters in the movie. They all saw the characters as real people, doing their best to survive in a hostile and indifferent universe. This is not a movie I would recommend for anyone who wants to escape from reality. It is the most anti-Hollywood movie I have seen in a long time. If one goes to see it, it should be because he/she wants to apprecate a work of art. One last note. It was great to see a movie which portrays Arab Americans in a positive way; not as towel headed terrorists intent on bringing down some city's infrastructure. Kingley's general is a loving, caring father who builds his whole life around his wife and son. He is willing to sacrafice his own life so his child will be able to one day go off to college and experience the American dream that is beyond his own grasp. The general's wife is also a very powerful character. She is a loving wife and mother. In every scene, her wisdom and compassion comes across. As for their son, he is the product of a family where he knows he is loved. The character of the young woman who gets kicked out of her home is played by Jennifer Connelly. Her performance is powerful, and evokes sympathy for all those find themselves out on the streets through no fault of their own. One very uncomfortable question which the movie poses is "Where is God?" In one scene, the general crys out. There is no answer. I left the movie wondering to myself, "How many people are there who cry out for God, but who never get an answer?" In the end, the movie does make a very difinitive statement. All four of the main characters are good people. All of them have big hearts. All of the characters are introspective in one way or another. But as in Elle Wisel's great book "The Night Trilogy" when certain people cry out to God for answers, God returns with silence. It was that silence I heard within myself as I left the theater.
Rating:
Summary: If you like Shakespearian tragedies, you'll like...
Review: Remarkable film, remarkable acting - don't buy popcorn, you'll feel like an irresponsible idiot. What a great contrast in visions -- two ways of looking at the world, both very serious. One person is so stubbornly determined to make an ideal life, the other is depressed to the point of total inactivity. One is guarded, with an almost admirable facade, one is raw, with barely the skin to make it through the day. Forget the plot - it really doesn't matter. This is an old school tragedy where things turn, turn and turn on many levels until the reach conclusions that they must. People pushing too hard, too determined, too righteous, too irresponsible and then accidents and the fall begins. A lamenting, indulgent, perhaps to the point of being self-destructive, America wrestling with its rigorous, fundamental Arab cousin. Repeated small gestures of affection from the women and the men give us hope that she can be saved. A fool's attempt at a military negotiation to set things right - is it out of love, justice, or nothing better to do. Who makes the sacrifice in the end? Who has the real power to make things different? Well done in so many ways.
Rating:
Summary: When a movie is more than a story
Review: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is one of those films that visualizes a fine novel, adds the luxuries of fine acting, atmospheric cinematography, and yet in the end the whole is much better than the sum of its parts. For those who have not read the book or seen Director Vadim Perelman's excellent adaptation I would refer you to the several excellent plot outlines supplied on the product page for this movie. Simply put, this is a story at whose core is a house whose ownership triggers reactions from everyone in the tale. The sensitivity of Dubus' novel and Perelman's adaptation lies in the way the similarities of each of the characters are essentially laid on a flat line of synergy. A house is bequeathed to girl who has nothing but a lineage claim to the structure which is usurped by the government in a technical error, sold at auction to an Iranian man living with his wife and son in a strange land without any of the amenities of his previous life as a dignitary in Iran. The middleman in this contested house is a deputy whose longing to leave his own life of complacency for a taste of passion he has never known. Everybody is basically needy, grasping for some semblance of security, meaning, and ownership. It all is built on sand and is as elusive as fog. Each is driven to ends thought inconceivable and yet there is finally a sense of just what it is to be an isolated human on this globe that can be unkind. Ben Kingsley surpasses past achievements as Behrani, a man of such bruised pride and longing for substance that he fosters his own descent into hopelessness. Jennifer Connelly once again proves that her spectrum of acting is ever-widening as she makes Kathy a credible victim with a crusted heart of forgiveness. Ron Eldard allows us to see inside his Deputy and feel his longings even though we may not side with his choices. Iranian actress Shohreh Agdashloo is powerful as the fully realized wife for Behrani and her responses to all of the incidents are heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Young Jonathan Ahdout is unforgettable as Behrani's son. Walking out of this film the audience is stunned not only by the ending, but also by the realization of how fragile we all are as global neighbors and how that in the end gestures of kindness will be all that will allow us to survive. You cannot ask more from a film than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip it!
Review: Movie was way too long and there was very little plot. Girl loses house due to her inability to open her own mail. Man buys foreclosed house so that he can have some money to support his family. Conflict arise and it takes forever to resolve. Ben Kingsley is a wonderful actor and Jennifer Connelly is a great actress but I would not recommend that you waste your time seeing this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartbreaking Melodrama Full of Symbolism and Superb Acting
Review: "The House of Sand and Fog" is without doubt the most heartbreaking, depressing film of 2003. Even though I am not so keen on downer-type films, I loved what this film had to offer from the subtle symbolism it carried through so well to the mesmerizing performances delivered by Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is a recovering alcoholic deserted by her husband and clearly very depressed. She is staying in the house she inherited from her dad and is basically wasting her life away. Her mail is piling up unopened (a lesson on responsibility and the disasters that could be avoided by just opening one's mail.) One day, the county shows up to take possession of the house because Kathy failed to pay some taxes the county wrongfully accused her of owing. As a result of not taking care of this earlier (she could have if she just have opened her mail), the county had to auction the house and Kathy had no other recourse but to officially clear this misunderstanding, which is a process that takes time and during that time lots of things can (and did) happen. The crux of the film is this house and the battle Kathy had to launch to get it back. When the house is auctioned, an ex-colonel in the Iranian army purchased it for 1/4 of what's worth. Colonel Bahrani (Ben Kingsley), his wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and their son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout) move in while Kathy is rendered homeless living in her car trying to get her house back. The disputed property (symbolizes disputed land, disputed ideology ...etc) brings about a great deal of misery and despair to all parties involved. The often blurred contrast between a "home" and a "house" is intensely pronounced as the characters find themselves in a rollercoaster of hope, dreams, and complete despair. This is an Oscar caliber film worthy of all the acclaim it received. It is, however, a tearjerker. I still do cry when I remember certain scenes from the film, it's that intense. If you are in the mood for a heavy drama that will almost definitely make you cry or if you want to experience a terse epic of everything human, then I recommend you see this film.
Rating:
Summary: This Property is Condemned
Review: Andre Dubus' novel on which Vadim Perelman bases his film, "The House of Sand and Fog" is a masterful, subtle, frightening parable about how we Americans take our freedoms for granted and how it often takes someone from a country with few or no freedoms to shake us up, wake us up to all that we have here. Ben Kingsley as Behrani says it succinctly when he compares we Americans to children, always looking for the next thrill, the next sweet, the next thing to excite us, the next thing to keep us occupied and interested (paraphrase).
But whereas Dubus' novel is spare, direct and to the point, Perelman's film sometimes strays into melodrama, especially in the film's third act when the action gets too contrived and almost veers into silliness. But the epilogue is so strong, so poignant, so well acted by all that you soon forgive "The House of Sand and Fog" it's foibles.
Ben Kingsley's performance is a wonder. As Behrani he plays a powerful man forced out of Iran with his wife and children only to work two menial jobs in the U.S. to support his family. He is proud yet cunning, saving his money when he can, always looking for ways to improve his lot. Behrani is a man who ultimately pays for his pride in the worst possible ways, yet he accepts his fate with dignity and courage. His fall from grace is not noble, but it is understandable.
Jennifer Connolly as Kathy is one of the walking wounded. She is everything that Behrani is not: driven by her emotions, unable to act, overcome and unable to get passed her recent divorce, really a mass of raw exposed nerve endings. Kathy doesn't even have the wherewithal to take advantage of her beauty and her natural allure. She is so unaware, stripped of all confidence that she is a victim of her beauty.
"The House of Sand and Fog" is a gorgeous film to look at and Perelman uses the Northern California locales as a physical manifestation of his characters emotional state: densely foggy, bone chilling cold when emotions are in upheaval and difficult to read and brightly sunlight when things are straightforward and clear, which is not much of the time.
Don't visit "The House of Sand and Fog" looking for a surgically precise world free of contradiction, you won't find it. Instead, you will find a world in conflict, a world full of compromise, a world heaving and erupting from the conflict of the have and the have-nots, the confident and prideful versus the tragically lost.
| 
