By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Vadim Perelman
Starring: Ben Kingsley | Frances Fisher | Jennifer Connelly | Jonathon Ahdout | Ron Eldard | Shohreh Aghdashloo
Country: united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 126
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315983/combined
Diane says: “I’m on a mainstream roll! HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is a five-cat book, and here not reduced too awfully much in its film version. Ben Kingsley is perfect as Colonel Behrani, the exiled Iranian trying to recoup the standard of living he enjoyed under the Shah. He mixes SEXY BEAST cruelty and a familial gentleness in this conflicted character.
“I guess the biggest flaw of the film is Jennifer Connelly’s character, the downwardly-spiraling young woman whose house Behrani has purchased at auction. I assign the problem to a lack of background for her character. The book was much better at achieving an even balance between Behrani and Kathy. Bird imagery overdone; ending too stylized; but definitely worthwhile”
Kevin says: “Few films in recent memory have the powerfully haunting quality that is so abundant in Vadim Perelman’s new film HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. It is an exquisitely crafted adaptation of the recent best-selling novel by Andre Dubus III. The story of a small mistake that leads to an unbearably large tragedy, this film is brave enough to be a tragedy in the Greek sense of the word–a rare and precious quality in modern cinema.
” Jennifer Connelly (HULK, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) plays Kathy, a recovering alcoholic. Left by her husband months prior to the film’s opening, she is wasting away in the titular house–a beautiful home on the beach that was bought by her father and given to her at his death. Failure to open her mail leads to her sudden and upsetting eviction, due to an unpaid business tax which Kathy never owed in the first place, from the family home.
“Ben Kingsley (SEXY BEAST, GHANDI) is Behrani, an Iranian immigrant living in the United States with his wife Nadi (Shoreh Aghdashloo) and son Esmail (Jonathon Ahdout). Behrani, a powerful military figure in Iran who felt out of the governments good graces, is forced to work two menial jobs in order for his family to keep up with the Joneses. When he sees an add for the auction of Kathy’s house, he jumps on the idea and immediately purchases it for far less than it is worth. It is at this moment that the lives of the Kathy and the Behrani family become irreversibly and horrifically intertwined.
“Kathy wants her house back and has proof that she never owed the tax that the government used to evict her. Behrani is unable to give the house back, as he needs the profit he will make on selling the house in order to put his teenage son through college. He is also the legal owner of the house.
“Among other reasons, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG works so well because the screenplay by director Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto is such a finely crafted work. Kathy and Behrani are set up as parallel characters, and the audience can’t help but
sympathize with both individuals. They are both flawed but fundamentally good people. The unexpected and beautiful bond that forms between Kathy and Behrani’s wife Nadi is another smart nuance, which helps to maximize the tension and underscore the tragedy with true, inexplicable human emotion. The beautiful, almost poetic dialogue gives the actors room to truly take flight, and these actors are really strong.
“Recent Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly does what is certainly her best work since REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. She embodies Kathy’s fragility, compassion, and weariness beautifully, giving life to a searing, unforgettable creation. This is a truly great performance–both bold and gentle. Kingsley matches his costar. His performance is the complete, full work of a man at the top of his craft. When the plotline figuratively veers into oncoming traffic near the end of the film, it is Kingsley’s performance that anchors the piece.
“Shoreh Aghdashloo is remarkable as Behrani’s wife, who is barely able to speak English, yet able to communicate with and understand Kathy in a way that is impossible for her husband. Her work is lovely and moving. Other supporting players Jonathon Ahdout, as Behrani’s son, and Frances Fisher, as Kathy’s lawyer, are flawless. The only actor who seems to struggle, perhaps with the stylistic quality of the dialogue, is Ron Eldard (BLACK HAWK DOWN). He is nevertheless well above average,
playing a cop sympathetic to Kathy’s situation, who eventually falls in love with her, leaving his family and getting involved with
the struggle over the house.
“Vadim Perelman, a Ukrainian making his remarkable directorial debut, has pieced together a true modern tragedy. His film is taut, enrapturing and intensely moving, enhanced by strong production values including Roger Deakins’ (THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE) beautiful cinematography and tight editing by Lisa Chrugin (GATTACA). Perelman utilizes strong control to a point, when he lets things unravel in the only emotionally reasonable way. The ending of this film is so bleak that it won’t get as much attention as it deserves, but it is all the more admirable that Perelman is not afraid to sink down into truly murky
depths of despair and hopelessness. HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is a haunting and remarkable film that demands to be seen. 4 1/2 cats”