House of Sand and Fog
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Movie Reviews of House of Sand and Fog
Movie Review: WHEW!!! One of the year's best without a doubt!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an emotionally wrenching movie...utterly fascinating and devastating. Some critics have blasted the movie for having an over-the-top or far-fetched ending. The ending is quite devastating, but it is totally convincing and earns its "tragedy" the old fashioned way...by making us care VERY much for the characters.You probably know the basic plot. Jennifer Connolly, a recovering addict who is still in deep depression, has ignored pleas to pay taxes on the home she inherited from her father, and is suddenly evicted with no place to go. The house is bought by Iranian emigree (and former colonel and confidant of the Shah) Ben Kingsley, as a way of bringing his family a little closer to the American dream.
Kingsley has no idea the circumstances under which Connolly loses her house...he's got things pretty rough himself. Some early scenes in the movie beautifully show the dignity with which Kingsley endures two horrible jobs...working on a road crew and in a convenience store. This is a proud man, a formerly important one, who strives mightily to keep up appearances...not just for his own pride, but so that his daughter can marry well and so his son can go to university. He is a prickly man, no doubt, but noble.
Connolly realises that the house was really the last lifeline holding her to some semblance of sanity. She readily admits that she didn't even take good care of it, but upon losing it, she becomes obsessed with getting it back.
She is joined in this by the cop who initially helped evict her, played by Ron Ellard. He has his own problems, including what he considers to be a shaky marriage. His attraction to Connolly turns into an obsessive need to prove his worth to her by getting her the house back. No matter what!
I will say right here and now that this is the best acted film of the year. 21 GRAMS was no slouch in the acting department and MYSTIC RIVER was darn good too. But these performances totally drew me in. I found myself leaning forward in my seat in anxiety and empathy. My wife gasped several times during the viewing, as the inevitable tragedy began to unfurl. We both wanted things to change. We were INVOLVED.
Connolly is terrific as always. She's a beautiful, quiet actress, who has a few moments in this movie that are so raw and stunning...her reserve finally comes down a bit. The actress who plays Kingsley's wife (sorry, I don't have her name handy...my grievous error) is FABULOUS. She MUST get nomitated for an Oscar...and she MUST get more work her in the states. I was absolutely floored. And the young man playing their naive, noble son is wonderful as well. Torn between loyalties and eager to prove himself...he is a true heartbreaker.
Ron Ellard is fantastically unlikeable, and that's perfect for the movie. He holds his own quite well.
Ben Kingsley, in my opinion, deserves the best actor Oscar. His colonel has so many layers, but Kingsley lets us see them all, playing just below the surface. His character is the opposite of his explosive work in SEXY BEAST. There everything was on the surface...here it's hidden beneath his impossibly straight back and intense eyes. I've always liked him a lot as an actor, but this film, I believe, puts him on yet a higher plane. He is one of the greats!
GO SEE THIS FILM!!
Movie Review: A Heartbreaking and Stunning "House" of Emotions!
Summary: 5 Stars
With the exception of Niki Caro's sublime "Whale Rider," no movie moved me more this past year than Vadim Perelman's "House of Sand and Fog." This story of a broken and desperate young woman who loses her house because her depression won't allow her to simply open her mail and the determined and steadfast Iranian colonel who strives to secure a better life and future for his family is a cacophony of raw emotion and heartbreak. Further, it is a meditation on what is important in life and how easy it is--no matter the intentions--to forget that very thing. This is a movie that is well photographed, beautifully adapted from Andre Dubus III's Oprah-approved novel of the same name and stunningly helmed by first time feature director Perelman. But "House" is a film that is anchored by its performances. There is hardly a false note in the acting (Ron Eldard occasionally seems overwhelmed by the powerhouse actors who surround him, however his work is still convincing). Jennifer Connelly conveys Kathy Niccoli's despair wonderfully. You can feel the depression wholly consuming her.
Ben Kingsley is superb! The scene in the hospital near the end of the film is a master class in acting. Kingsley's work is brave throughout the film--he allows the audience to see Colonel Behrani's flaws and hold him accountable for them while also helping us to understand that his ambition, his dreams and desires are to serve the needs of his family. It is among the most dynamic work by an actor in any year.
As fine as Kingsley is, however, my favorite performance of last year and now one of my favorites of all time has to be the stunning work by the invaluable and flawless Shohreh Aghdashloo. In her role as Behrani's patient and loving wife Nadi, Aghdashloo is grace under pressure. I dare you to catch this marvelous actress acting. She is the heart and soul of this film. It is through her expressive eyes that we understand what is at stake and what a home and family truly means. In dialogue that blends Farsi and broken English, Aghdashloo's Nadi is heard loud and clear, there is no mistaking anything she is thinking or saying. Let's face it: the Academy screwed up royally by awarding Renee Zellweger the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her Granny Clampett-ish Ruby in "Cold Mountain" (I say this completely realizing that Zellweger singlehandedly saved "Cold Mountain" from its own pretention). The devastatingly beautiful Aghdashloo far and away claimed the prize with the superlative work she delivers in each and every scene she steals. Here is hoping that Hollywood keeps this major, major talent working for years and years to come.
Buy/rent "House of Sand and Fog," which also boasts a very fine performance by young actor Jonathan Adbout as Kingsley and Aghdashloo's son, Esmail. Despite its heavy subject matter, it is a dynamic piece of filmmaking complete with some of the best performances of last year. This film haunted me for weeks after I saw it, and it has yet to release my thoughts completely.
A job well done!
Movie Review: Flawless, Affecting Personal Drama.
Summary: 5 Stars
Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) is a recovering addict whose home is repossessed for nonpayment of taxes. Massoud Behrani (Ben Kingsley) is a proud Iranian immigrant, once a colonel in the Shah's army, who now struggles to provide a respectable lifestyle for his family. When Behrani purchases Kathy's repossessed home at auction with the intention of reselling it for a profit, he thinks that providence has finally found him. He will be able to own his own home and send his son to college. But the house was improperly seized by the County, and Kathy, who is without any place to live, desperately wants it back. The house is the only thing in her life that Kathy has to cling to. And the house represents a small amount of much-needed prosperity for the Behrani family. This conflict of needs is made worse by Lester (Ron Eldard), a corrupt police officer whom Kathy unwisely relies on in her time of need."House of Sand and Fog" is based upon the novel of the same name by Andre DuBus III. The film has been flawlessly directed by Vadim Perelman, who also co-wrote the screenplay. This is Perelman's first feature film. He has previously been a commercial director. I must say that this is the strongest debut by a director that I have ever seen. "House of Sand and Fog" is straight drama. The story is a personal one of realistic behavior under unfortunate circumstances. We watch as tragedy unfolds when two people, who are both right in their claim, claim the same thing, and emotions run high. Ben Kingsley is wonderful as the proud and determined Behrani, who has nevertheless been made so vulnerable by leaving behind his life's accomplishments and moving to a foreign country where he has nothing. Kathy is remarkably unsympathetic for a person who has obviously been wronged. But she eventually becomes more sympathetic as she develops some perspective on her situation. Casting Jennifer Connelly in this role meant that the character would be less trashy than in the book. But I think that was a wise decision, considering that Kathy has trouble getting the audience's sympathy as it is. And Jennifer Connelly does a wonderful job here. It is her best work to date. This should establish her as a true acting talent and put rumors that she is just a pretty face to rest. Ron Eldard is also fantastic in his supporting role as Lester, a thoroughly repulsive man, but not an easy one to make believable. Shohreh Aghdashloo is utterly affecting as Massoud Behrani's wife, Nadi, a caring and vivacious woman whose displacement has left her filled with sadness and fear.
"House of Sand and Fog" has a slow, contemplative, but even pace. And it's a certain type of film. It exhibits emotions, drama and tragedy on a personal scale. Those who prefer more action or a larger canvas will not like it. But Vadim Perelman has created a masterpiece of personal drama. The performances are outstanding. The cinematography is exquisitely evocative. "House of Sand and Fog" is as good as a film of this type gets. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Is this your house?
Summary: 5 Stars
At first, I thought 'House Of Sand And Fog' would be a rather drawn out and boring movie, a sort of touchy-feelie film that I may admire but not necessarily enjoy. I was happily wrong.
House Of Sand And Fog is a drama that blooms with carefully orchestrated, subtle suspense, and carries with it the slight reek of prejudice. Who would you trust to be honest and fair? A Muslim Iranian family? A recovering, unemployed addict? A police officer? And just what type of greed would you consider to be the worst type?
Kathy (played by extremely talented Jennifer Connelly-Labyrinth, Requiem For A Dream) is a recovering addict, recently inheriting an older but cozy house from her father. However, the county mistakenly believes that she owes business tax and repossesses her property, leaving her homeless. Kathy is helped out by Officer Lester Burdon (played by Ron Eldard-Ghost Ship), who gives her an attorney's phone number and helps her pack her things.
Colonel Massoud Behrani (played by the incomparable Ben Kingsley-Suspect Zero, Schindler's List, Sneakers), an Iranian immigrant, finds the house listed for sale by the county and quickly purchases it. Behrani has spent every penny earned at working several jobs to ensure his daughter was married into a suitable family. Now he must see to his son's college, and dreams of fixing up the old house and making enough profit for his son's future.
Kathy hires an attorney to get her house back, but Behrani will not sell back to the county for less than four times the amount he paid for it. When Kathy sees that the law moves too slow, she confronts the Behrani's in an attempt to appeal to their sense of justice.
In the midst of her conflict with the Behrani's, Lester continues to take more than a casual interest in Kathy, to the point of leaving his wife and children to start fresh with her. How far will Lester and Kathy go to get back what rightfully belongs to her? Is Colonel Behrani an evil man or a victim himself? You will find that things are not always how they first appear, and will be holding your breath by the time House Of Sand And Fog reaches its surprising and powerful finish.
The lines between good and evil are thin and silvery gray in this exceptional dark tale of misguided intensions and ill-gotten gains. The photography is virtually stunning, the script tight, the acting above spectacular, and the emotion all too real. Special mention goes to actress Shohreh Aghdashloo who plays Nadi Behrani, and to Jonathon Ahdout who plays Esmail Behrani. Their superior supporting roles created a truly believable family with the Behranis.
Don't think for one minute that House Of Sand And Fog is your usual, uninspired drama. This is a dark journey into the heart, touching those black spots that leak poison inside all of us. Definitely worth a purchase. Enjoy!
Movie Review: It's quite good
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't think it's a dreadful movie at all. The cast is excellent. Yes, it's not a happy ending but it does convey important messages.
There are many poor immigrants in the United States even before they arrive here, but many of those are actually from an affluent background. However, facing a new country, language and culture, there is tremendous pressure that "the natives" cannot understand or ever experience. The responsibility, pride, and being able to provide (=success) are always the major elements for the male in the immigrant families. The extreme pressure is on any first generation immigrants but especially on those who are from the countries they cannot return due to political threats or so called periphery countries.
Opposite from the immigrant family in the movie, the lead actress and her lover represent the irresponsible generation of this great country: alcohol, too easy sex, too easy to give up by drinking and suicide, irresponsible to the lovely but boring marriage life, even police force is at fault - is it really necessary for the police to shoot?
Another message I see from watching this movie is: immigrants are taking over the homes of "the natives". This can be a dangerous message if it is wrongly conceived. The setting of the story locates in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the Bay Area (the area around and includes San Francisco peninsula), a small to medium size and 60 years old or older family house can easily cost $900K in San Francisco. Immigrants continuously move in while the supply never catches up is one of the factors that why the housing is ridiculously high. The fact about the immigrants is that they save not only because of the original culture they carry with them to America but also the sense of security. No matter what, the money they use to finally buy their houses is the hard-earned money as any other American families do.
The reason I mention the housing is because I am also an immigrant. But, I am not as lucky as those who can afford to buy a house or apartment around the Bay Area. I feel bad though when my friends of "the natives" complain about the immigrants who drive the housing market this crazy. But, we should never forget that there are many "the natives" get benefits from it, and the immigrants is very important to the energy and the health of the economy in California.
Anyway, the story might be too drama-like, but I would say the pressure the immigrant families in the U.S. is no less than the one in the movie. The role of the leading actress might be too pathetic, but her role can be a reflection of our generation.
A reviewer mentions the book is much better. Maybe I'll read the book, but this movie is not bad.