House of Sand and Fog

Rating:
Summary: Why didn't Ben Kingsley Win An Oscar For This Movie?
Review: To be honest, the Oscars were less than a year ago and I can't even begin to remember who won in both actor and supporting actor rolls, they were so forgettable.

I have watched this movie 5 times as of this writing and will watch it many more times just to see the gut-wrenching acting Kingsley does in the shattering climax of this story. In this tepid time of comic book characters, Matrix and Crouching Tiger copies ad-nauseum, it's so refreshing to see ADULT stories with a plot and characters you care about. In fact, I was so engrossed with this story I wondered what would have become of Kathy after what her dreadful life caused. She deserved nothing short of suicide.

I don't want to give away the ending, but Kingsley absolutely moved me to tears each of the 5 times I viewed the movie. He conveyed such agony. And to believe he wasn't even nominated! Guess it's all about who you know...or your politics.

The movie starts a little slow, but picks up speed towards the completely unsuspected ending. There were a few rough spots, but overall, I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: Very absorbing tale of conflict
Review: The visuals of fog, sunsets, and the ocean lent a sense of mystery and the evanesence of human life that drew me in. I was a lot less concerned about being confused at the disconected opening scenes than intrigued as to how this story was going to come together; and it came together in a riveting way, as a clash between two very different people who insisted above all else that they were entitled to the same thing.

Kathy (Jennifer Connolly) is evicted from her father's house. We never learn a great deal as to why. It could have been a mistake, she considers it a mistake; but regardless of the arbitrary way that she experiences being evicted, we soon learn that though she is beautiful, she is drifting haphazardly through life without a whole lot of purpose, latching onto to whomever fits into her set of rules. Colonel Behrani (Ben Kingsley) is worlds away in experience. Exiled with his family from his homeland in Iraq, he takes a job as a manual laborer and is determined to regain some of the advantages of his former life. Buying Kathy's home and then selling it again at four times the price is his way out of drudgery and difficulty.

The tale may not have gathered it's horrifying momentum were it not for the policeman Lester (Ron Eldard), first appearing at Kathy's eviction from her house. From the way Jennifer Connolly plays her part, it is very convincing how he could fall under her spell, because she has a mesmerizing beauty and her vulnerability only adds to her attractiveness. Lester has a tenuous hold over his life, and dumps his wife and kids and a great deal more and falls head-over-heals for her, in effect losing his bearings.

It is possible to nitpick over details here and there, and whether the ending works or not; but this is a well-acted, very absorbing film about sympathetic characters who have an unresolvable conflict.