House of Sand and Fog (2003)

THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
***  (out of ****)
a film review by
Richard A. Zwelling

What is a house? It's a question that is a bit more complicated than it might initially seem. As we find out from the central characters of The House of Sand and Fog, Vadim Perelman's debut feature based on the novel by Andre Dubus III, the answer to this question can be emotional or material, personal or political. A house moves beyond the physical constituent parts to take on metaphysical meaning to its owners, and when the meanings do not synch together easily, tensions can arise.

Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is a recovering alcoholic who has been struggling since her husband abandoned her. The only thing that has meaning for her is a waterfront house that her father saved money for and built with his own two hands. The county government has mistakenly asked that Kathy pay taxes she does not owe and repeatedly warns her, but she does not open her mail, and she is soon evicted.

Lester (Ron Eldard), one of the officers who helps in the eviction, takes pity upon her and gradually becomes a romantic interest, despite the fact that he is married and has two children. But before Kathy can blink (and more importantly, hire legal representation), the house is auctioned to the family of Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a colonel who is a refugee from Iran, has become a legitimate American citizen, and wishes to build a life for his family, much like the privileged live they led in their home country.

Even looking at the brief outlines I have just given, it is possible to see the eventual conflicts, but what is hard to initially accept is the fact that there is no right or wrong party. Kathy has a legal right to get the house back, but Massoud legally purchased it without prior knowledge of the governmental blunder.

Both parties fight battles for the right reasons, but unfortunately, they also react in ways that exacerbate, not dissipate, the building tensions. They also refuse to look beyond their own myopic self-concerns and see things from the opposite perspective, and much of the conflict is initially believable, considering just how opposite these perspectives inherently are.

This does not last, however, because the latter half of the film produces events that are poignant, but not entirely believable. While some of what transpires seems indicative of how normal people would act under these extraordinary circumstances, there are a few moments that are too overblown and melodramatic to be credible.

The bright side is that this drawback does not stop the film from presenting troubling issues that bring up equally troubling questions about human nature. Such issues include the gray areas of good and evil, compassion and sympathy contrasted against self-concern and an impulse to defend oneself and be mistrusting, and the need for groundedness and security in a world that does not easily provide either.

The other big reason this film holds together is the fantastic work of the two leads. Jennifer Connelly has been one of my favorite actresses over the years, not only for her stunningly elegant presence in front of the camera, but also for her intelligent portrayals of challenging characters (consider her heartbreaking performance in Requiem for a Dream, her surprisingly multi-dimensional role in Hulk, and her restrained, yet deeply moving work in A Beautiful Mind). This is another role that demands much of Connelly, and her performance is magnificently powerful, entirely believable, and free from any artifice.

Meanwhile, Ben Kingsley gives a remarkably controlled performance that requires emotional versatility during several key moments. His Colonel Behrani is a man of noble and honorable intentions, but also a man who can be overly judgmental and temperamental. It is up to Kingsley to ensure that Behrani becomes a sympathetic character, but not so much so that we see past his faults. The scenes in which Connelly and Kingsley act together are electrifying.

Despite its missteps, The House of Sand and Fog is most certainly worth a look and will not fail to stir audiences' emotions. As mentioned, it raises deeply unsettling issues and will provoke discussions that can be both personal and political. The top-notch performances only serve to strengthen the film as a whole.

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X-RAMR-ID: 36680
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1233433
X-RT-TitleID: 1128304
X-RT-AuthorID: 7583
X-RT-RatingText: 3/4