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Movies / On DVD / House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog

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House of Sand and Fog (2003)

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Reviews Counted:166

Fresh:125

Rotten:41

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Powerful and thought provoking film.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some violence/disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $12,924,917

Synopsis: Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction... Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction and her husband's departure. Lost in her funk, she fails to check her mail, which includes letters threatening to evict her. After she is thrown out of the house she grew up in--wrongly, it turns out, so she seeks legal representation--Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley) buys the property at auction with the goal of selling it at a huge profit so his family can live a better life. Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian army, is determined to make his family's move to the United States a successful one--nothing matters more to him than his wife and son's well-being. But when he sees Kathy sleeping in a car outside his fence, he knows he is in for a fight. Based on the book by Andre Dubus III, Vadim Perelman's directorial debut is a fascinating study of family in the United States. Kathy has no one to turn to--her father is dead, her husband has abandoned her, and she's too frightened to seek help from her mother or brother. She falls for Lester (Ron Eldard), a deputy sheriff who claims to no longer love his wife. And Behrani is so dedicated to his wife (Shohreh Aghidashloo in a riveting performance) and son (Jonahtan Ahdout) that he blinds himself to Kathy's dire situation. HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is a relentless, thought-provoking work that will linger with audiences long after the film ends. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Navi Rawat

Director: Vadim Perelman

Director: Vadim Perelman
Screenwriter: Vadim Perelman, Shawn Otto
Producer: Michael London, Vadim Perelman
Composer: James Horner
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

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Release:

Mar 30, 2004

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Reviews for House of Sand and Fog

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine

This House is worth a peek.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/19/03
E! Online

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
02/16/04
Sunday Times (Australia)

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Perelman has directed Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, who play Kathy and Behrani, respectively, in the performances of their careers.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
12/25/03
Detroit Free Press

Vadim Perelman's impressively self-assured directing debut harvests the terror and grandeur of classical tragedy from the everyday sorrows of contemporary American life.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/18/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Una espiral dramática de desalojo en múltiples contextos.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
02/29/04
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

Vadim Perelman keeps the film tense and knows how to direct actors. The performances given by Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly make this a must see movie.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
01/18/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A balanced tale of the American Dream gone awry, made compelling by outstanding performances from Kingsley and Connelly.

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
01/15/04
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

If this movie isn't quite the contempo-Greek tragedy it wants to be, it's still a powerful, almost unforgettable meditation on fate, cultural collision and the morality of renovating a house that isn't really yours.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
12/27/03
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
03/16/04
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

An intense drama with a brilliant performance by Ben Kingsley.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/20/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

This is not pleasant stuff, but it's important, and thoroughly heart-wrenching.

Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
12/25/03
Bill Gallo
Bill Gallo
Dallas Observer

It's difficult to imagine that Kingsley could top his blistering performance in Sexy Beast, but here it is.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
12/26/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fine, truly serious picture whose only other major flaw is a climactic turn into melodrama of the most horrifically punishing kind.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/19/03
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

If the holidays have you feeling a bit too giddy, this gloomy movie will knock it out of you.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
12/31/03
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Grey and deliberate... akin to one of those T-shirts packed in a can of compressed air; it’s a movie so tightly spring-wound that you hardly stop to ponder its imponderables.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
01/09/04
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

[A] rewarding tale of desperation and lost dreams.

Full Review Source: Beach Reporter (Southern California) | comment Comment
12/18/03
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

[A] finely wrought drama.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
12/26/03
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies
 
 
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Latest News for House of Sand and Fog

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March 17, 2003: Click Here for Preview. Opens in new window
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