House of Sand and Fog is a tragedy if ever there was one. The story is tight and the acting is superb. It stars Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley. It's described as a Crime Drama here on IMDB and that is misleading. This is a tragedy. Although there are crimes committed, by the Cop played by Ron Eldard, as he pursues a romantic relationship with the excellent Jennifer Connelly, falling for her considerable charms, it's not an accurate idea for describing this movie.Why we don't see more of Connelly in leading roles on the silver screen must have to do with her not kissing the right Hollywood arses and certainly not for a lack of talent or looks, as she possesses both in ample amounts. A recurring theme in Hollywood, particularly with talented actresses. As Marilyn Monroe once said, "Hollywood is a town where they'll give you a million bucks for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul." Smart lady. Kingsley is perfect in his portrayal of an Iranian immigrant moving his way up the social economic ladder in this land of promise. He comes by a house on auction that was illegally taken from Connelly's character. She has been wronged, but not by Kingsley's character as many would have you believe in their reviews of this disturbing film. The wrangling over this house destroys everyone involved, although the ending of the book, by Andre Dubus III, has a slightly different conclusion, with Connelly's character in prison. In the movie, it's not really clear what becomes of her but she is homeless and alone with no visible means of support just after two very convincing suicide attempts prior to the end of the story. This is a hard film to watch and it will haunt you for days after you finish it.

Dark story of two tragic characters and a catalyst for disaster. I don't think that many of the posters on the site recognized that the two men in the movie, Lester and Behrani are actually bookends to some degree because they seem to be narcissists who want their own way, regardless. Lester throws away his wife and kids in order to get the woman he wants (at least for the time being) and Behrani strikes his wife when she dares question the ethics of selling a home for three times what he paid for it. Both men rely heavily on the appearance of power, and dare anyone to get in their way. They will not even listen to their wives or girlfriend, as they think they know best. Behrani is the wiser one, as he knows that power doesn't only come from the firearm carried, but from a brave heart. Everyone in the story underestimates the other and judges on appearances alone. Behrani sees Kathy simply as a reckless and overly emotional woman, without realizing that she has suffered a loss and is combating alcoholism. Kathy and Lester see an immigrant who takes advantage of a situation to jack up prices, when Behrani just wants to restore his family to their previous great fortune. Behrani realizes too late that appearances and money mean nothing when your own child is lost. Behrani, the narcissist, will cause the death of his own wife rather than admit his failures in protecting their child. Lester realizes, too late, that 'having the eyes of a child' as Behrani says, will cause you to throw everything away for an uncertain future. All are headstrong characters on a road to destruction in order to get what they want. Kathy sits perched, like a succubus, high above the tragic action.Is she a victim or a villain? The only wrong note in the film was how Behrani's wife would climb the outdoor steps in her doped up state? Otherwise a dark but thought provoking film, similar to American Beauty in its depiction of the dark side of the American Dream, and the tragedy of not truly understanding, but believing that you do.

'House of Sand and Fog' is a very depressing film that revolves around a young troubled woman named Kathy and a down on their luck family of immigrants, the Behranis. The conflict between them arises out of a mistake on the part of the County and the tax department which end up having devastating consequences on the lives of these people.I think one of the main themes that gets explored in the film and what I connected with is how and the extent to which a sense of honour and self respect can drive a person's behaviour and make him/her stubborn. Kathy refuses to reveal her divorce and her sorry financial condition to her family because of this self respect. The Behranis at least at the initial stage of the film are putting on this facade of extravagance because of this self respect and because of their need and urge to not lose their honour in the eyes of society. The Behrani's had come to America with an idea of what the American Dream was about. The initial part of their life in America was spent in affluence and luxury. But even after their lives took a bad turn in a financial way, they feel the need to keep up this disguise of being a happy, well-to-do 'American' family. So much so that when Massoud tells his wife that they may have to move to a smaller, more ordinary house, it becomes a mentally shattering experience for her. In her eyes, moving to a new house, means going back to being an 'Arab' and relinquishing their new 'American'-ness. The sense of feeling like an outsider as an immigrant gets explored. On the other hand Kathy's problem lies in the shame of having undone the work that her departed father did on the house that she inherited. The film is an example of a director elevating a flawed premise through great storytelling. The tone that Vadim Perelman sets for the film is melodramatic. The dialogue is a bit theatrical. But Perelman remains consistent with that tone, so it didn't put me off. There are some great moments of visual flair like the scene where Massoud while he is checking out Kathy's apartment, notices a shining window in an otherwise pitch dark room, another great shot is the shot of Kathy in the bathtub with her reflection in the water. But what Perelman excels at the character scenes for the most part. He gets good performances out of the actors for the most.But the screenplay is a bit flawed in my mind which could be due to what's present in the book which the film is based on. The basic conflict that sets up the film is a bit unconvincing. Also the way the situations and circumstances constantly escalate in the last act of the film become increasingly bizarre, ridiculous and not believable. Perelman elevates this material by chewing the scenery a bit with his direction which in a way hides the weaknesses of the story.The acting for the most part is good. Ben Kingsley is powerful and commanding. Jennifer Connelly like she did in 'Requiem for a Dream' plays a broken character very well. Having said that there are a few scenes involving every actor that could come off as a bit fake, but I guess that goes along with the tone of the film. However Ron Eldard as the character of Lester was a bit boring. His characteristics, his mannerisms and his actions range from bland to really off-putting and maybe the writing has a lot to do with it.'House of Sand and Fog' is a depressing, heartbreaking film. It is not a great film in any sense of the word. It has a lot of screenplay and writing issues which may have their source in the original novel in terms of realism. It is a good exploration of pride and honour. But it's still certainly worth watching for the direction, the acting and the themes. Recommended.

I recommend watching this movie as an analogy for situations when you can sympathize with two sides of a conflict but also need to see how there is no easy answer. I see a very strong metaphor to the Israel-Palestine conflict, without giving too much away, view the Iranian, Behrani (Ben Kingsley), as the Israelis, being evicted from their home in Europe after World War II due to a descent into madness and attempting to build a new home with a great deal of hard work, and Kathy as the Palestinians, who rightfully own the house but had it re-possessed. View Lester the Police Officer as the other Arab counties and the Lawyer as the Americans. View the sex scene as the thrill and exhilaration of conflict.Superbly acted and directed. When viewed as an analogy to the Israeli and Palestinians it is the only movie I've seen that allows me to fully empathize with both sides and yet not take a side. Can anyone reply with a similar movie on this topic? I've seen no other movie that fits this topic so well, and I'm not sure if the Author intended this interpretation, however, there is this quote in the movie about the land of milk and honey, which is a biblical reference to Israel."Dat's what they say of this country back home, Kath: 'America, the land of milk and honey.' Bot they never tell you the milk's gone sour and the honey's stolen."