Plot
An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her home's new owners.
Release Year: 2003
Rating: 7.7/10 (37,547 voted)
Critic's Score: 71/100
Director:
Vadim Perelman
Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard
Storyline An emotionally broken woman, Kathy, suddenly finds herself homeless after her house is wrongly repossessed and auctioned. Seeking respite from his marriage, Lester, a lustful but sympathetic sheriff's deputy comes to the aid of Kathy and becomes intimately involved in her situation. Soon, Behrani, a proud emigrant Iranian and his family move into the house only to find their new lives burdened by harassment from Lester and Kathy as they attempt to reclaim her former home. The once prosperous colonel denies Kathy's pleas for he knows his recent purchase promises a profitable return and a better future for his adolescent son and extravagant wife. But latent consequences lie beneath Behrani's well intentioned plan as Kathy's emotions spiral out of control and her actions spark a tragic chain of events that will leave no resident unscathed in the House of Sand and Fog.
Writers: Andre Dubus III, Vadim Perelman
Cast: Jennifer Connelly
-
Kathy
Ben Kingsley
-
Behrani
Ron Eldard
-
Lester
Frances Fisher
-
Connie Walsh
Kim Dickens
-
Carol Burdon
Shohreh Aghdashloo
-
Nadi
Jonathan Ahdout
-
Esmail
Navi Rawat
-
Soraya
Carlos Gómez
-
Lt. Alvarez
Kia Jam
-
Ali
Jaleh Modjallal
-
Yasmin
Samira Damavandi
-
Little Soraya
Matthew Simonian
-
Little Esmail
Namrata Singh Gujral
-
Wedding Guest
(as Namrata S. Gurjal-Cooper)
Nasser Faris
-
Wedding Guest
(as Al Faris)
Opening Weekend: $45,572
(USA)
(21 December 2003)
(2 Screens)
Gross: $13,005,485
(USA)
(28 March 2004)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
USA:
|
Argentina:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Author Andre Dubus III received more than 100 offers from film studios who wanted to make his book into a feature.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Behrani is shown working in the convenience store, the Snickers bar he is holding is alternately opened/unopened between shots. It seems clear from his entry in the ledger he keeps that he has only eaten one.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Officer at End:
Are you Kathy Nicolo? Kathy:
Yeah. Officer at End:
Is this your house?
User Review
Incredible Comment On Cultural Gap In America
Rating:
First of all, anyone who says that s/he didn't "get the point of this
movie"
needs to go back to watching movies produced solely by Jerry Brukheimer
because the point could not be more apparent to anyone of any
intelligence.
House of Sand and Fog is a commentary on the cultural gap between
American-born citizens and immigrants from war-ridden countries such as
Iran. Unfortunately that gap is shown for what it is: wider than
ever.
The character of Kathy is portrayed brilliantly by Jennifer Connelly as an
emotionally unstable young woman caught up in the turmoil of losing both
her
husband and her family's home within eight months of each other. Kathy
ignorantly fails to realize that the house her dead father has left her
brother and her is in jeopardy of being put up for auction due to unpaid
taxes. Kathy comprehends, too late, that the thirty years it took her
father to pay off their home has been in vain when it is sold to an
Iranian
family shortly after auction. Her character is pinned against Ben
Kingsley's Colonel Behrani when Behrani buys Kathy's auctioned house in
order to return his own family to a sense of stability. The audience is
conflicted by its empathy for both character's need to satisfy his and her
own pride in family and the preservation of his and her heritage.
The catalyst for the two characters' conflict with each other is drawn
from
the supporting character of Officer Lester (Ron Eldard), a representation
of
the ignorance and lack of empathy some Americans feel towards people whose
lives have led them to seek better ones in the United States. While
Behrani's main motive is to protect his family and give it a sense of
security, Lester puts his own selfish pleasures before the wellbeing of
his
own family. Behrani and Lester are complete opposites, Behrani clearly
the
nobler.
It is clear why Kingsley chose to do this role: Kingsley's portrayal of an
Iranian refugee is both superb and honest, not to mention Oscar-worthy.
The
film shows that there are greater sacrifices in this world than those
materialistic in nature. Ironically many Americans might find that point
hard to absorb, probably the reason why they are so quick to write off
House
of Sand and Fog as "one of the worst movies" they have ever seen. House
of
Sand and Fog is a film, not a movie. Those who give this film a thumbs
down
need to get a dictionary and distinguish the difference between the two
terms. Andre Dubus III's novel has been done justice. Thumbs
up.
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