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House of Sand and Fog (2003)
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:28
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.9/10
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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Reviews for House of Sand and Fog
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.
Meticulously acted and unafraid of a difficult subject, House of Sand and Fog resonates with a quality that can be vital to art -- a lack of moral rectitude.
The movie's intense watchability can be traced directly to superb performances by Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley.
House of Sand and Fog doesn't deliver on the gut level of contest, and neither does it offer any other terms in which it does deliver for the audience.
Remember the name Shohreh Aghdashloo ... she is the soul of this pungent film.
A powerful tale of a personal conflict that turns tragic when emotions spin out of control.
Like great fiction, House of Sand and Fog sees into the hearts of its characters, and loves and pities them.
This is a movie that has the strength of its convictions, and it's anchored by top-shelf performances that go out on a limb time and again.
In the current political climate, it's required viewing. We all need to think about tolerance and how, like sand, it can slip through our fingers.
This is an unforgettable portrait of decent, well-meaning, conflicted people moved to frustration, helplessness and grief.
It's difficult to imagine that Kingsley could top his blistering performance in Sexy Beast, but here it is.
Perelman has directed Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, who play Kathy and Behrani, respectively, in the performances of their careers.
Latest News for House of Sand and Fog
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March 17, 2003:
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