House of Sand and Fog Movie Review:


Based on Andre Dubus III’s great novel, “House of Sand and Fog” is a story about two different individuals desperately wanting the ownership of a home, and will do almost anything to keep it.

Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) is a hard-working housecleaner that has been evicted from her sentimental home in hills of San Francisco. Kathy actually loses her home over not paying taxes, which end up being a bureaucratic error by the county. However, before she can move back in, her home has been auction off to Colonel Behrani (Ben Kingsley), who was once a wealthy militaristic leader in Iran, but is now working many part-time jobs for money. Besides looking to make profit from the house, Behrani also hopes the home restores his relationship with his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and teenage son (Jonathan Ahdout). After settling the county’s costly mistake with her lawyer (Frances Fisher), Kathy learns that Behrani will only sell the house back to her or the county for four times what he paid for it. She then finds some drive by having an affair with Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard), who is a kind deputy that helped her move her things into storage and has continually checked up on her. With the inability of the characters’ notions to understand one another, the story derails to normal people doing horrible things to maintain their “wanting” over self-awareness and respect.

The novel by Dubus is tragic tale of obsession, pride, cultural clashes, and attempting to live the American dream. This film version is very well adapted, but there are a few shortcomings.

First time director Vadim Perelman helms the film and also co-wrote the screenplay. The script for the most part stays true to the novel, and maintains the volatility of these characters. Colonel Behrani is pretty much the film’s Willy Loman character, whom is a man that has self-pride and strives for everything that he presents himself as, which he is really not. Kathy is an ex-alcoholic, whose husband abandoned her, and has nothing left but the house that her late father left for her. The house itself is the component that these two characters strive for, Kathy wants the one thing that actually keeps her adrift, and Behrani wants it to make money to once again live the American Dream. The adaptation from book to screen by Perelman and co-writer Shaw Lawrence Otto is admirable, since the book is told in the first person by Kathy and Behrani.

Outside of being strongly adapted, the direction is where this film resides a few hiccups. Though Perelman maintains the beautiful atmosphere and feel of a modern tragedy with the film, his pacing is painfully slow. It seems at times that the film really needs a jump-start with too many pretty shots of landscapes, rather than just letting the film move along. The film opens with some terrific transitions, such as the choice to move from Behrani’s daughter’s wedding to the Colonel’s current job status. However, the rest of the film seems to be spliced by continuos landscape and fog shots. These intentions by the filmmaker are established and understood, but it slows down the film.

Another significant miss with the film is the casting of Ron Eldard as Lester. His performance as Lester is trite and nowhere near what the character embodies or calls for. Eldard is not a terrible actor, in certain roles he is fine, but as Lester he seems out of place. Lester is a simple-minded family man that develops an obsession with Kathy, and then demoralizes into actions to help her get her house back. Eldard executes these actions, but none are all the way believable.

On the other hand, the rest of the acting ensemble are very well cast. The great Ben Kingsley is astounding as the determined Behrani. Jennifer Connelly delivers an emotionally gut-wrenching performance as the out of luck Kathy. Shohreh Aghdashloo is also emotionally intact in her role as Behrani’s confused, but dedicated wife Nadi.

“House of Sand and Fog” is a very well adapted drama from a superb book. The unfortunate nature of the novel is fully expressed. It is a story of the American Dream and livelihood told from two different viewpoints, in which the audience sees both sides, but the characters do not. Though this is a good film adaptation, many of the directorial choices could have been tighter, to deliver the film with more consistency.

Grade: B

12/07/03

Joseph Tucker

What is it about the house and why is it so important? For some, the house is a sign of stability and rebirth. And those who fight for it will lose a lot of themselves in the process.

Kathy Nicolo's (Jennifer Connelly) life is turned upside down when a bureaucratic error forces her to be evicted from her home. Kathy watches as
the house is sold for a fraction of its worth to a struggling Iranian family headed by Col. Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley). Victimized, traumatized and homeless, Kathy seeks the aid of a lawyer (Frances Fisher) and a cop (Ron Eldard). Kathy will do almost anything to regain her house and her previous life.

On the other side of the coin, the Behrani family just wants to forget the emotions of their past and find some sort of solitude. Col. Behrani tries to
do the best he can for his family and he believes that God has smiled on him when such a beautiful home comes available. He hopes to use the house a quick investment and help his family get the life they have been struggling to achieve.

Each side of the coin has their desires and emotions to why they deserve the house. Through a very emotional and crippling war, each side will see their own personal house of cards shatter. It is a struggle that will change them forever.

"House of Sand & Fog" is frustrating, crippling and unnerving. The film's message and self-destruction makes it very hard to enjoy. Just as we start
to understand a character the film shifts direction and we become more frustrated.

It is also hard to choose who is in the right here. There is no line drawn to who is more self-destructive and who is more desperate. That is the basis to why this film is hard to enjoy. We want the best for each character but the film never finds a solid solution when the solution is so obvious. It is
mind-boggling to how dumb these characters are. In saying that, I had a really hard time with this film.

The performances of both Connelly and Kingsley are phenomenal as each is driven and motivated within their characters. I could connect and feel for
each of them. I just couldn't understand their choices.

The direction and photography was excellent in delivering each side of coin.

For those who remember who Atom Egoyan is then they might remember his sense of style, deliverance and crippling melodrama. Egoyan's most famous films are probably 1997's "The Sweet Hereafter" and 1999's "Felicia's Journey".
Egoyan tends to make films overly depressing as he deconstructs the world around his characters. There also never seems to be an easy solution for his characters. "The Sweet Hereafter" is probably the most depressing film I have ever seen. The film is relentless and never lets you stop crying. The
second most depressing film I have ever seen is the 1988 animated film "Grave of the Fireflies". There has been no animated film I have ever seen
since that creates such raw emotion. It is an amazing feat for any animated film.

The difference between the films I mentioned above and "House of Sand & Fog" is that these films deliver a message that there is no simple answer to the situations and questions raised. There are simple solutions and answers in "House" but no one cares to address the real problem and that is utterly frustrating. Why can't we all just get along?

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

This intense drama is powerfully moving, with five devastating performances. Yet it could have been even more compelling with a less heavy-handed approach to the material. On the Northern California coast, Kathy (Connelly) is at the end of her rope. Her father has died, leaving her the family house, then her husband abandons her. And then the county repossesses her house due to a bureaucratic error. Local cop Lester (Eldard) takes helps her out and then falls into an affair with her, while trying to find a way to get the house back. But at a county auction, the house is bought by Behrani (Kingsley), an Iranian immigrant desperate to improve life for his wife Nadi (Aghdashloo) and teen son Esmail (Ahdout). When the error becomes apparent, he resists selling the house back at the absurdly low auction price. A standoff ensues. And we know it's not going to end well.

This is a clever twist on the American dream, with honour and ambition among the immigrant family contrasted against the stunned desperation of more established residents. But these are complex, intriguing actors who never allow the obvious parallels and symbolism to overwhelm their characters. Kinglsey is the standout with a heartbreaking performance that combines stoicism and heart with a haunted guilt about his past and hope for his future. The central five characters are brilliantly developed by the actors and the script, captured on screen with solid filmmaking skill. These are fascinating people; we can identify with all of them in some ways, even though none are very sympathetic. They're all frightened, stubborn, insular and ultimately deeply irrational. And this is where the story's flaws start to show, because without one slightly too-hotheaded character a resolution could have been easily found. As a chain of events are set in motion, it becomes clear that hysteria is going to wreck any chance for peace around this house. And while this unravels the film to a certain extent, especially combined with the unsubtle ways director-cowriter Perelman states his case, it also adds a layer of global-political meaning that's really scary.

Rich Cline

When recently divorced Kathy (Connelly) is wrongly evicted from her home, the Behrani family buy the property at auction. A former Iranian colonel, Massoud (Kingsley) sees the house an opportunity to make some money to pay for his son Esmail’s (Ahdout) university education and gain the respect of his community. Kathy doesn’t take too kindly to this, as she now has nothing, becoming desperate to get the house back that her father left her in his will.

A first time director and an outstanding cast bring a real potboiler to the screen. As the tension builds and the desperation sets in, Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly show you what pure, natural acting is all about as they effortlessly convey the torrent of emotions felt by their characters. This is truly captivating, grabbing your attention and not letting go until the dramatic conclusion.

Jennifer Connelly proves again that her Oscar win wasn’t just a one off with another powerhouse performance. She brings a real sense of desperation to the character of Kathy, as her world starts to collapse around her. Her conveys her plight with a completely natural performance; effortlessly drawing into her situation and making you really feel for her as the connection to her beloved house is dramatically cut.

Master actor Sir Ben Kingsley is totally believable as Colonel Behrani, a man who has lost all his dignity and his position of respect after the collapse of the Shah's rule in Iran. This is Kingsley at his very best and most powerful. While you may think he is the villain of the piece, you soon realise that this is a man that is just trying to do the best for his family’s future.

As well as the outstanding two leads there is also great support from Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ron Eldard. In her first English-speaking role, Shohreh Aghdashloo shines as Nadi Behrani, the Colonel’s wife who is having trouble adjusting to her new life in America and social class. She excels in the scenes with Jennifer Connelly, truly conveying fear as her lack of English leads her character to believe that she could be deported. Ron Eldard is one of those actors who you always recognise but can never quite put a face to put this is a role that you should remember him for. As the hapless local deputy Lester, a man trapped in a loveless marriage that sees Kathy as his path to happiness, he finally gets the chance to grab some of the recognition he deserves.

First time motion picture director Vadim Perelman makes the move from commercials to the big screen very successfully. He has a good understanding of tension and gets the best out of his very strong cast. He does tend to overuse James Horner’s haunting but slightly familiar score a tad to often and he has a real zeal for showing fog rolling into the bay but this a very solid start that will make him a director to watch.

’House of Sand and Fog’ is a slow burner that builds into a raging inferno of emotion and tension. With excellent performances from the two leads and outstanding support form Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ron Eldard, this is a movie that will stay with you for a very long time.

Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of House of Sand and Fog and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.