House of Sand and Fog
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Movie Reviews of House of Sand and Fog
Movie Review: Affecting performances and an intriguing storyline
Summary: 5 Stars
Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley in an Oscar-nominated performance) is working two jobs, one as a road construction worker and the other as a clerk/manager in a convenience store. He is a meticulous man, a man of dignity and pride. He has a wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and a teenaged son. They immigrated to the US from Iran where he was a colonel in the air force. They had a house in the days of the Shan on the Caspian Sea that they have no longer.
One day Behrani sees an ad for a repossessed house up for auction. This is the house of the title. It is owned by Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) and her brother. We see her asleep in the house, which has gone to some disrepair, dirty dishes in the sink, unopened mail on the living room floor. She is awakened by a phone call from her mother on the east coast. It's 6 a.m. Kathy seems hung over. Her mother is coming to visit in a couple of weeks. Kathy says her husband will be out of down. She says he is lying next to her now, asleep. However he isn't.
Kathy is in a bad way. She is a recovering alcoholic. We can imagine her husband left her because of her drinking. She is trying to quit smoking. And worse yet, there comes a banging on the door and she learns that the house is being taken from her for back taxes. Signs are plastered on the doors. A county sheriff Lester (Ron Eldard) is there to make her exit the premises.
We can see the clash of cultures coming: the proud, hard-working immigrant who is going to buy the house dirt cheap and then sell it for a profit, the careless and self-indulgent American who is going to go live in her car.
Sheriff Lester is the joker in the deck. He is bored with his wife, whom he married young after growing up with her. He immediately takes a fancy to Kathy, and we can see that he will be instrumental in trying to get the house back.
So this is the premise of the movie. There are some problems with this premise, but they are minor. Behrani buys the house for forty-some thousand dollars and puts it up for sale for an hundred and seventy-some thousand. These numbers are pathetically low for the time, the 1990s, and the location, the San Francisco Bay area. Kathy is left with nothing. However after the taxes are paid she should be getting what's left of the forty-thousand. The direction by Vidim Perelman in his debut glosses over this. Furthermore, Kathy should be suing the county since they are the ones who wrongfully assessed her for a business tax.
What makes this movie work is the fine storyline, adapted by Perelman from the novel by Andre Dubus III, and superior performances by Ben Kingsley, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Jennifer Connelly. Kingsley becomes the Iranian colonel in the most convincing manner. His motivations are clear and believable. His character is rounded and at once sympathetic and a bit off-putting. He is sexist and macho but at the same time civilized, compassionate and even admirable. Connelly, in her stringy hair and cheap cut offs becomes an injured and lost bird that has flown into this house that is no longer hers, this house that symbolizes both the American dream and the dream of the immigrant. I have seen her in a couple of other movies, most notably in A Beautiful Mind (2001). She is striking to look at, and here she proves she is a very talented actress. Her ability to turn her character from one that we are disposed to dislike to one for whom we feel great sympathy is part of what make this a superior film.
Aghdashloo, whose work got her a nomination for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2004, also gives a fine performance in a delicate role requiring understanding and compassion. It is perhaps fitting that she was born in Tehran and speaks Farsi. (Excellent casting overall, by the way.)
Also notable is the original score by James Horner, which also received an Oscar nomination.
This movie is not only a work of art, but is intriguingly plotted so that what develops and how it ends are not easily predicted. The ending for some may seem a bit stagy, but I believe that Kingsley sold it well, and considering his character, it is quite plausible.
Movie Review: A tragedy of great depth with astounding performances
Summary: 5 Stars
In one of the special features on the DVD of "House of Sand and Fog" Sir Ben Kingsley compares this tragedy to those of Shakespeare, and the comparison is apt. This is not to suggest that the dialogue of this 2003 film reaches the level of such brilliant writing, but that this is a tragedy that reaches a depth comparable to some of the tales of the Bard. The tone is set from the start, as Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) watches ambulances leave the house that is at the center of this story. Without any more information than that, we know that what is coming is going to be bad. Very bad.The situation is that Kathy's husband has been gone for months, although she makes up stories about him being asleep or out of town when her mother calls. She lives in a split-level home that sort of has a view of the shore. A recovering alcoholic, she has failed to pay taxes owed on a business that was not her own and she has been ignoring warnings from the country. Consequently she is evicted from her home, which is put up for auction. The house is quickly bought by Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley), an Iranian immigrant who was once a colonel in the Air Force of the Shah. He has been working two menial jobs to keep his family living in some semblance of the luxury they enjoyed in Iran and he sees this house as an great opportunity, thinking that he can sell it for three or four times what he paid at auction. Meanwhile, Kathy goes to a lawyer (Frances Fisher) to get her house back. It appears the county made a mistake in acting so hastily, but already Behrani is putting up a Widow's Walk on HER house.
The house is important to both Kathy and Behrani, and one of the major strengths of this film by director Vadim Perelman is that we see both sides of the story, and how each of the protagonists is both right and wrong. The wild card in this story turns out to be Deputy Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard), who helps Kathy when he has to evict her from her house and who ends up becoming involved with her despite the fact he is married and has two kids. He seems to be a guardian angel for Kathy, who is a recovering alcoholic, and certainly Burdon keeps her from falling too far too fast. But he soon loses his gift for helping her.
The true angle in the film is Behrani's wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who has trouble speaking English but who can respond with great empathy to the plight of Kathy, who continues to unravel as fate toys with her life. The pivotal point in this film comes when we think that Kathy is about to go and do something bad, and she does. But it is not what we thought and it changes everything in an expected way. If there is a point where "House of Sand and Fog" becomes lyrical it is when the Behranis explain to their son, Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout), about the broken woman in their home. Yet the story moves towards tragedy and small decisions have fatal consequences. The fact that nobody wants any of this to happen only heightens the tragedy.
Kingsley is a consummate actor and this well could be his finest performance. Given what I have seen this week with him in this film and Diane Keaton in "Something's Gotta Give" I am convinced that once you win an Oscar you might get nominated but you can pretty much forget winning even when you do something better. Since Connelly "just" won an Oscar that might explain why she was overlooked for a nomination while Aghdshloo is superb as well, often without speaking (or speaking in Farsai). But it is Kingsley who has the most unforgettable scenes and if you are reminded of Shakespeare's Lear you will not be the only one. There is also the great irony of our times that the most memorable prayer I have ever heard in a film is uttered by a Muslim character in this film. But the grief of great tragedy can inspire such words.
Movie Review: One of the five best of 2003!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: A Dark Tale Of The American Dream Turned Nightmare
Summary: 5 Stars
Vadim Perelman, in his directorial debut, has created an extraordinarily powerful drama with "The House Of Sand And Fog." Award-winning actors Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley give truly great performances in this dark and tragic film of the American Dream turned nightmare. Shohreh Aghdashloo, as Kingelsy's wife Nadi, and Jonathan Ahdout as his teenage son Esmail, are also superb. And cinematographer Roger Deakins stunning photography sets the mood throughout the film.Persian immigrant, Massoud Amir Behrani, (Ben Kingsley), is a former colonel in the late, deposed Iranian Shah's air force. He is an intelligent, well educated man, who used to be respected in his native country as a person of position, power, and means. Behrani's former life, with all his efforts to build it, seems like it was constructed on a sea of shifting sand. He came to America with his wife, son, and daughter with limited funds, and has spent almost all of his money setting his family up in the manner to which they had been accustomed. One of the primary reasons for doing this was to marry his daughter to a member of their former social class. He is now reduced to working as a common laborer by day and a convenience store manager by night in order to provide for his family. His co-workers are men he would have given alms to in his native land. Angry and humiliated at how far he has fallen, Behrani decides to invest his remaining funds in a house that has been put up for auction at a Sheriff's Sale, because the owner had not paid property taxes. He wants to make improvements on the house and sell it at a large profit, which he hopes will enable him to provide his family with their former lifestyle, and restore some of his lost dignity.
Kathy Niccolo is a disaster waiting to happen. She is a depressed, quietly self-destructive, recovering alcoholic and addict. Her house, in the California hills overlooking the Pacific, was bequeathed to her and her brother by her beloved father. It is all she has. She is adamant in her refusal to give-up her home because of a bureaucratic error. She was evicted for failing to pay a tax she never should have been charged in the first place. However, with her usual carelessness, she ignored a number of correspondences and warnings from the local tax board.
Sheriff Lester Burdon, (Ron Eldard), delivers the eviction papers to Kathy. She confides in him and he becomes obsessed with helping her fight for justice. Lester finds himself falling in love with Kathy, although he is married with two children and much personal baggage of his own.
The contested ownership of the house is the fulcrum of the intense plot. Two people compete with increasing desperation, for the title to one small bungalow, which has a different meaning for each of them. The tragedy lies in their inability to communicate and understand one another. Part of the movie's incredible power is the difficulty one has in deciding which party to side with, as both are at once sympathetic and worthy of censure.
The film is absolutely riveting and the tension builds to a surprising climax. To say that "The House of Sand and Fog" is not upbeat entertainment is a major understatement. So, although I give the movie my highest recommendation, I do so with reservations. Prospective viewers should be cautioned that the grim intensity of this piece will stay with you for a very long time. Definitely not a films to see twice.
JANA
Movie Review: Ben Kingsley Sears the Screen in "House of Sand and Fog"
Summary: 5 Stars
When previews for "House of Sand and Fog" began airing in theatres two months ago, I evinced little interest. I had not read the novel by Andre Dubus, nor was I particularly moved by (or indifferent to) the plight of Colonel Behrani, magnificently portrayed here by Ben Kingsley. Like many forty-somethings for whom the idealism of the 1960s has been partially supplanted by harsh reality, I was hardened by my own fears and suspicions as the film's opening scenes rolled across the screen. It didn't take long for the deposed Colonel to validate those perceptions.
As the erstwhile officer to the Shah of Iran whose life was destroyed by political upheaval, Behrani is now residing in the U.S., forced to toil in a series of dead-end jobs to make ends meet. When he leaps at the chance to purchase a repossessed house from the grasp of a recovering alcoholic (played with great skill by Jennifer Connolly), one feels sympathy. He isn't aware that the house was wrongfully seized through bureaucratic error. On the surface, Behrani seems to be a proud and dignified man whose profound desire to restore honor and prosperity to his family is a noble aspiration. However......
It doesn't take long for the overweening patriarchy typical of so many middle eastern cultures to rear its ugly cranium. When the devoted husband screeches at his wife to "shut her lips" after having the temerity to question his dictates, my flesh curdled. When the displaced Colonel coldly dismisses the rightful homeowner's attorney (played ably by Frances Fisher), I felt vindication when the legal eagle proudly informed Behrani that she indeed WAS the attorney - and this was HER office. (The concept of professional women is evidently anathema to the beleagured Behrani.)
Slightly more than halfway through the film, when Behrani corrupts an otherwise tender scene with his son via an anti-American discourse that validated my own worst fears, my heart became colder than a thousand icebergs (including the one that sank the Titanic). Again and again, as the film hurdled to its defining tragedy, I said to myself, "I don't care what happens to this character." I didn't wish impending doom upon Behrani, yet I was indifferent to his fate.
Until one cataclysmic scene that tore the screen (and my hardened heart) wide open. Only an actor of superior skill and instinct could do what Kingsley does here: in the film's closing scenes, the Oscar-winning thespian blows away the cultural differences and life experiences that divide us. The audience (including myself) was rent asunder. Kingsley is that good.
Yes, this is a film about human weakness and folly - and the price these deficits enact. (Ron Eldard, portraying a rogue cop who drifts into an affair with Connolly's character, demonstrates this ably. His disastrous attempts to "help" Connolly consist, essentially, of holding a mirror to her face and entrapping her in her own vanity.......and ennui.) The errant policeman (and others like him) also prove that cultural elitism isn't confined to Behrani. Disrespect for human life pollutes all societies, and is the seed of self-destruction.
I shall always remember "House of Sand and Fog" for Kingsley's vivid portrayal...and for one defining, heart-rendering scene that engulfed my soul when I no longer believed it to be possible. That, in my view, is one of the marks of cinematic excellence.