House of Sand and Fog
Tags: dark, depressing, flashback, melodrama, tragedy, sentimental

Plot synopsis:
The movie begins on a foggy night with a young woman sitting on a widow's walk. Below, ambulances are leaving the house. A police officer asks if she is Kathy Nicolo.On the day it all began, Kathy was awakened by a 6:00 a.m. phone call from her mother, who lives on the east coast. Kathy lies and says her husband is there when in fact he left her six months earlier. After revealing that Kathy's brother's wife is pregnant, her mother says she is coming to visit friends in two weeks and will drop in. This is unwelcome news. The house is a mess, with unwashed dishes in the kitchen and unopened mail spilling across the floor.Suddenly there is a sharp knock at the door. Outside, Kathy sees two police officers and two other men. She is informed that the house is being seized for non-payment of a business tax and that she must vacate the property at once. Stunned, Kathy tries to explain that she inherited the house from her father and there is no tax owed. But the tax office has sent her several notices, none of which she opened. One of the police officers tells her that unless she moves her belongings out, they will be auctioned along with the house. He advises her to call friends or family to help her move. But there is no one to call. The officer takes pity on her and introduces himself as Lester Burdon. He knows of some movers who owe him a favor. He sends the other officer for cardboard boxes so they can help her move. By the end of the day, Kathy's belongings are in storage and she gets a room at a cheap motel. She is a house cleaner and cannot afford anything nicer.Colonel Massoud Behrani was forced to flee Iran with his family. He and his wife Nadi have two children, Soraya and Esmail. They are all American citizens now. Soraya is being married and her parents throw her a lavish wedding. With that out of the way, Behrani must begin saving money for his son's college education.No one knows that he works two menial jobs to support his family. By day he is a highway worker and at night he works in a convenience store. He has saved money and plans to invest in a house he can fix up and sell for more than he paid. In the newspaper he sees an advertisement for the auction of a seized property. It is the house taken from Kathy Nicolo. Behrani attends the auction and buys the house for a fraction of what it is worth. He is advised to add a widow's walk to increase the resale value.Kathy's visit to Connie Walsh, a lawyer, doesn't go well. Clearly there has been a mistake. She recalls signing a paper months ago that she owed no tax, but since she didn't open her mail she was unaware of any problems. Kathy is stunned to learn that the house has already been sold. Connie says she can sue the county but that would take months. Or their office can contact the owner and ask if he would be willing to sell the house back to the county for what he paid. Kathy is adamant that she must have the house back in two weeks for her mother's visit. Connie warns her to let them handle it and on no account approach the owner.Nadi does not want to move but Behrani gives her no choice. She is reminded of the time back in Iran when he cut down several beautiful trees at their summer home so they would have a better view of Caspian Sea.Kathy drives to her former home and is outraged to see the widow's walk being constructed. She orders the workmen to stop but they tell her to speak to the owner. Then Kathy steps on several nails and cuts her foot badly. The workmen help her to the door. Nadi is kind to her and bandages the foot. Her English is not good so Kathy doesn't really explain why she is there.Reporting all this to Connie results in a letter to Behrani, explaining the mistake and requesting that he vacate the house at once rather than later. Behrani is outraged and pays Connie a visit. He has had the house appraised and its current market value is $174,000. If the county wants to pay that amount, he will sell the house back. But he will not sell it for what he paid for it at auction.Kathy is in her storage unit when Lester drops by. He is off duty and in the area, so he decided to check on her. They go out for drinks, although Kathy explains that she is a recovering alcoholic. She brings Lester up to date on what is going on with her house. He is sympathetic and gives her his direct line at the station.The motel owner tells Kathy that her credit card was declined and she must leave. Wearily, Kathy asks if it could wait till Friday when she will get paid. The answer is no and Kathy is now forced to live in her car. She is already drinking again and now she starts smoking. Lester comes to the rescue and installs her in a nice motel room. They begin an affair after he leaves his wife and children, which he has been wanting to do for a long time.The widow's walk is finished and Behrani is showing the house to prospective buyers. Then Kathy pulls up in the driveway. Behrani lies and says she is there to pick up some tools left behind by her construction worker boyfriend. He grabs her arm and forces her back in the car. As she drives off, she yells that the house is stolen. The buyers decide that they are no longer interested.Soraya and her husband are back from their honeymoon. Behrani and Nadi host a party for them on the widow's walk. Kathy and Lester drive by and are disgusted by the merrymaking. Lester squeals the tires as they make a u-turn and leave. Even though they are in Lester's car, Kathy feels Behrani's eyes on her.Lester and Kathy move to a fishing camp owned by one of his friends. There is no electricity or running water so they use lanterns and a gas stove. He notices the bruise on Kathy's arm where Behrani grabbed her and decides to do something about it. After putting on his uniform but removing the name tag and whatever else might identify him, they drive to Behrani's.When Behrani comes to the door, Lester identifies himself as Officer Joe Gonzalez. He tells Behrani that it is illegal to post a sign on a telephone pole, as Behrani did when he advertised the house for sale. Lester then attempts to intimidate Behrani by asking if he is in this country legally. Behrani identifies himself as an American citizen. Esmail and Nadi come out of their rooms in time to hear Lester threaten to deport the family unless Behrani sells the house back to the county. After Lester leaves, Nadi angrily asks Behrani what he has done. The quarrel escalates and he slaps her. Esmail helps her out of the room and Behrani spends the night alone.Lester returns to his car where Kathy is waiting and tells her it is obvious that Behrani isn't just off the boat. The next day, Behrani goes to the police department and reports Lester to Internal Affairs. He remembers that Lester was wearing an unusual pin, one with two pistol barrels crossed and the letters FTO. Since there are only eight field training officers on the force, Lester is easily identified.It is his day off and Lester has gone home to see his wife, who has told the children that their separation is only temporary. The phone rings and it is Internal Affairs, ordering Lester to come in at once. Meanwhile, Kathy is back at the camp waiting for him. When he doesn't come, she decides he has reconciled with his wife. She goes to the Behrani home and tells Nadi everything. Nadi is very sympathetic and promises to talk to her husband. Behrani arrives just as Kathy is leaving. In a fury, he grabs her and shoves her into her car, shouting that she is nothing and to tell her idiot deputy that his superiors know what he did. Kathy drives away and calls her brother from a phone booth, intending to ask for his help but he cuts her off. She then goes to a liquor store, where she purchases several bottles. She decides to burn the house down. If she can't have it, then neither can Behrani. After filling a gas can, she opens the trunk and sees Lester's gun belt. She takes the gun and leaves the gas can sitting on the sidewalk.Behrani looks outside and sees Kathy once again parked in his driveway. He runs out and starts yelling until he sees the gun. Kathy is aiming it at her head, sobbing wildly. He takes it away from her and carries her into the house. He and Nadi put her in Esmail's room to sleep it off.Lester goes to the camp and finds the meal Kathy had prepared for them still on the table. He realizes she must have gone to the Behrani home and might be in danger. Meanwhile, Kathy has gone into the bathroom and swallowed Nadi's pain medication. When Nadi realizes what she has done, she makes Kathy throw up the pills. Behrani and Nadi are in the process of getting her back to the bedroom when Lester breaks the kitchen door down. He charges in and seizes the gun, which was left on a table. Holding the family at gunpoint, he demands to know what they have done to Kathy. Esmail explains about the pills and produces the empty bottle. There is nothing to do but let her sleep off the effects.While she is sleeping, Lester orders the family into the bathroom and locks the door. They remain there the entire night. By morning Behrani has come up with a plan. He offers to sell the house back to the county, then give Kathy the check in exchange for her signing the house over to him.Kathy wakes up and Lester sees she is fine. He tells her of the offer made by Behrani but Kathy is skeptical. She asks several times if they can't just leave. But Lester points out that she will need money to make a fresh start. Over her protests he leaves, taking Behrani and Esmail with him. Earlier he unloaded the gun and gave Kathy the bullets to keep. The Beharnis do not know they are being held hostage with a useless gun.Behrani tries to get Lester to allow Esmail to wait in the car but he won't. Keeping the gun hidden, Lester marches them toward the county office. He is very nervous at seeing a number of police officers about. Then a rookie cop stops him to thank him for all he learned by riding with Lester.The trio start up the steps leading to the county offices. Suddenly Behrani grabs Lester and yells at Esmail to get the gun, which he does. It was Behrani's intent to hold Lester captive while Esmail got help. But the plan fails. Esmail is confused when officers draw their weapons and order him to drop the gun. When he doesn't, they shoot him in the chest. Behrani drops to his knees and cradles his son, wailing aloud. An ambulance arrives and takes Esmail to the hospital, while Lester and Behrani are taken into custody.Covered with his son's blood, Behrani prays aloud that the boy will live. Lester confesses to everything and Behrani is cleared. He runs all the way to the hospital, but Esmail has died. After saying a tearful goodbye to his son, Behrani returns home. Meanwhile, Lester is booked into the nearest jail. He tries to call his wife but she doesn't answer.Nadi falls ill with a headache and goes to bed. Kathy then leaves the house and drives to the pier. She stays there for a while.When Behrani arrives home, Nadi is just waking up. He cannot bear to tell her about Esmail. After changing his blood-soaked shirt, he brings her a cup of tea laced with an fatal overdose of medication. She drinks it and soon dies. Behrani then dresses himself in his Iranian colonel's uniform and puts a plastic bag over his head. Lying next to his wife, he commits suicide by suffocation.Kathy returns to the house and finds the bodies. She rips the plastic from Behrani's head and performs CPR but it is too late. She realizes it is her fault and curls up on the bed. Eventually the police come.The movie ends with Kathy answering the officer's question. Yes, she is Kathy Nicolo. He asks if this is her house and she says no.

Review: Since antiquity, tragedy has been regarded as the highest and most important form of drama for its ability to arouse the deepest sense of pathos and empathy from its audience.Remind yourself of this if you choose to watch 'House of Sand and Fog.' I can state emphatically that 'House' is one of the most artfully directed and acted films of the last five years, but make no mistake: it is a tragedy, and only the hardest and most jaded of hearts will emerge from the experience undisturbed.
As in the novel, the story is filtered through alternating perspectives, the foremost of which are Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a Persian ex-pat and a former high-ranking officer under the Shah in Iran, and Kathy Lazaro (Jennifer Connelly), a severely depressed recovering alcoholic tenuously holding onto sobriety but nevertheless gradually self-destructing after the collapse of her marriage.The two characters are drawn together, appropriately enough, by the house of the title, a small but elegant coastal property in fictional Pacific County, California (the novel sets the house in Malibu).
Kathy has become a victim of a bureaucratic snafu--she has been erroneously charged with delinquency on taxes for a non-existent business--but due to her textbook depressive refusal to open and answer her mail, she wakes up one morning to find that the county has evicted her and put her property up for auction.Enter Colonel Behrani, a regal man of aristocratic bearing whose ruthless determination to maintain the standard of living his family has always been accustomed to is simultaneously honorable and pathetic.
The house is seen in an early flashback, an eerie montage wherein a younger Behrani in full-dress service uniform observes as a row of enormous trees are severed at the trunk so that the sea will be visible from the balcony where he stands.To elaborate the plot further would be too revealing, so I'll simply say that the lead performances in this film are sublime.
Both actors master these demanding roles such that the audience feels a broad scope of contradictory and ambiguous emotions towards their characters; neither is completely sympathetic nor despicable, and though in the Aristotelian sense Behrani is the story's tragic hero, it's resolution remains ambiguous, as does the ultimate responsibility for the tragic denouement.The direction of the film has its occasional hitches, but many of Vadim Perelman's shots are brilliantly captivating.
The Northern California coastline is exploited to maximum effect, and Perelman offers numerous shots and angles of seamless appeal--they are original and engaging without feeling forced or consciously 'film-schoolish.' It's quite a beautiful movie to look at, from the meticulous arrangement of the Behrani's luxurious furniture and decorations to the patience with which Perelman lets his actors' nuanced facial expressions and physical gestures unfold the depths of their characters.I have some slight reservation about recommending the film simply because its tragedy is so unmerciful.
"House of Sand and Fog" is by far the finest film I've seen this year, and probably the best I've seen since the dial turned from the 1990's into the new millennium.Vadim Perelman makes a movie so astoundingly beautiful that one has to think he's been doing this for years, but this is his first film.
A jaw-dropping conclusion completes a powerful, unbelievably sad piece of work.After a couple years of not finding a movie that stirred me, this is it, what we all look for in movies -- a harrowing story, beautifully filmed, cathartic and elegant.
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.
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.
His character is defined by strength, beliefs and pride, and Kingsley gives an excellent performance, Shakespearean in stature.The film itself is emotionally draining, and you feel you're being taken on that roller-coaster drop along with Connelly's character, but don't for a second think that you shouldn't see it for those reasons, it's a journey that is superbly rewarding as a movie and an education in the miscommunication of people.
They become utterly engaging and you totally disengage from life around you.There's a strong supporting cast, although the performance from Jonathan Ahdout is not too convincing, those around them are, I think a particular mention is required to Shohreh Aghdashloo who provides an emotional balance for the coldness of Kingsley's character and an emotional mirror to the devastation of Connelly's character.Two things are mentioned in the audio commentary that I didn't really pick up on until then, but retrospectively you realise these contribute greatly to making it a great movie.
This has the effect of treating the audience with respect and realising that they have intelligence, and it also makes for an excellent way of keeping the pace of the movie.Picture Presented: The picture is crisp and sharp, a superb use of lighting in the movie moving from the bright opening beginning of the story it darkens through time to the bleak and dismal closing scenes.
Combining Kingsley, Vadim Perelman and Andre Dubus III, you are treated to a really wide view from story conception through development, filming, acting and ultimately post production.
Amazing how seemingly small and insignificant events can quickly snowball to dramatically change the lives of those involved.This movie had my rapt attention from beginning to end and is one of the best films I've ever seen.
It works as a reminder that there is good and bad in all of us, and breaks your heart in the process.Behrani (Sir Ben Kingsley) has just bought a house on auction for him and his family (wife Nadi played by Shohreh Aghdashloo and son Ismail played by Jonathan Ahdout).
Of course, this doesn't justify some of his actions, but one gets the sense he really would do anything for his family.So I wholeheartedly recommend House of Sand and Fog with the disclaimer that it is a very sad film.
Everyone does a great job, particularly Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley (nothing short of what was expected from both).This isn't a feel-good film, it's a film about society and human nature, with lessons to be learned.Enjoy it for what it is, not for what you want it to be..
Suffice it to say that the law does not work this way in the real world.Unfortunately, the totally illogical and unrealistic plot twists annoyed me so much that I couldn't take any of it seriously, so I never developed any feeling at all for the characters.I didn't enjoy this movie, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone who knows anything whatsoever about real estate law, immigration, police work, or home improvement contractors..
An Iranian expatriate family, now U.S. citizens near San Francisco, get mixed up in a real estate bungle centering around a house near the sea--the sand and the fog.This is a grim tale, and the movie tips toward grimness more than the book, so by the end of watching you will be miserable.
Having said that, I will add that I had to watch a "feel good" movie afterwards so that I could go to sleep when I went to bed."House of Sand and Fog" is powerful.
The all-mighty goddess of love (e.g. Jennifer "future Mrs. Mackey" Connelly) is wonderful (though only a living angel would look as radiant as her in such a f**ked up emotional state) and does a superb job with the toughest emotional scenes (ps: I would have sacrificed TEN TIMES what Ron Eldard's character does to be her shoulder to cry on...lol).
The dignity and grace with which this great actor tries to handle the ridiculous ending the director forces on his character really makes you feel for him as an actor who was unfairly cheated of the better film his superior performance deserved.
Before watching this movie I was thinking that it will be a good movie because of the presence of sir ben kingsley & jennifer connelly and it came out as one of the most powerful & thought provoking movies I've ever see.I wasn't expecting such a good work from a rather new director.It gives you a ride through deep emotions & won't let you decide whats wrong & whats right.It makes you believe that not everything in this world can be either right or wrong.Not only the performances of sir ben kingsley & jennifer connelly were absolutely stunning but others also played their part pretty well.This movie is a must watch if you are into serious cinema..
Perelman doesn't force the viewer to take sides; instead he presents a balanced and unbiased account of the events that occur in their lives, while maintaining the characters as the focal point.The cinematography and score are simply breathtaking, and I was surprised at how underrated and undervalued they seemed to be to viewers; I felt that the cinematography and score enhanced the movie greatly.There is little else I will say here, as it is hard to convey all the elements of this film in a single review or comment.
When a house comes up for sale at way below market value, he sees a chance to make things better.Populated by characters with flaws that are all too human, House of Sand and Fog shows how ordinary people get dragged down by the most mundane of circumstances.
After the immediate auction, the house is sold in a very low price to the Iranian Colonel Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a refugee who sees the chance to give some stability to his family and make a profit in the resell of the property to raise money to send his beloved son to the university.
Kathy has a relationship with the abusive officer Lester (Ron Eldard), who tries to force the family leave the place, ending his attempt in a tragic way.The debut of the Ukrainian director and writer Vadim Perelman is an impressive and depressive magnificent movie, I dare to say a masterpiece about the intolerance and prejudice of part of the American people against immigrants, mainly of Arabian origins.
The story shows in one side, a unstable ex-addicted and without background and support of her own family house keeper losing the house her father paid off for thirty years due to her own negligence, ignoring the correspondences from the City Hall; in the other side, an Iranian refugee, wealthy and powerful in the past, and presently a hard worker trying to save any cent to accomplish the American Dream, who sees the chance to give some stability to his family and makes the necessary money to send his son to the university, after marrying his daughter, being impossible not feel sorry and empathy for both characters.
The two people that really bothered me, which also means they did a fine acting job, were the characters played by Jennifer Connelly and Ron Eldard.This is one intense movie and I will provide this public service message to you: if you are on depression medicine, stay away from this film!.
Without any doubts this is Ben Kingsley's best performance since the greatest Gandhi unlucky for him the year 2003 was the year of fantastic performances by Bill Murray and Sean Penn.Another interesting fact that this is a debut for the Ukrainian writer/director Vadim Perelman and he absolutely did a wonderful job, because no offence- if you are making a debut with academy award winning actors such as Ben Kingsley an Jennifer Connelly you've got to have the guts to deal with them the right way and he sure did in a very smart way, Vadim has a bright future ahead of him.Another unpolished diamond is Shohreh Aghdashloo the surprise package of a really fantastic performance, a very well deserved Oscar nomination.The story of the film itself is very emotional yet very realistic, and the focusing point is really very interesting.This is one hell of a fantastic film.8/10.
The only thing saving this from a zero rating is Ben Kingsley's acting, but all I kept thinking through the whole movie is, "Let me out of this plot!" I wonder if anyone else feels the same way about this film, because so far I have read nothing but rave reviews......
It is time for us to go home to our destiny."There are no good or bad characters in House of Sand and Fog. Just a lot of flawed individuals who seem to unintentionally make matters worse at every turn.
This isn't a feel-good movie, to say the least.The story is about a conflict over a house that is very important to several different people.
Combine that with solid writing, a good score, and a great cast (lead by Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley), and you have a movie that is a fine example of the drama genre..
Aside from this semi-satisfying ending, I found the movie as a whole, very well-made, original in substance and form, and I would recommend it to all, though one must consider that this is rated R for a reason, there are a lot of things in here that should not be seen by minors, teenagers, and young adults, almost I would argue.The cast was great, though I disagree with the choice of Ben Kingsley.
The DVD rental was more than welcome, but considering the dramatic, tragic nature of the movie, buying it for your collection does not make much sense to me, unless (i) you exchange a lot of movies with your friends, (ii) you're deeply depressed, (iii) you're somehow immune to depression, but love to watch sad movies.Jennifer Connelly (Kathy) - 9/10 - Amazing nuanced performance, and she's just drop-dead gorgeous.Ben Kingsley (Behrani) - 8/10 - Does a great attempt at emulating the farsi English accent, but I am pretty sure that it does not really work for all Iranian viewers.
Something is wrong with "House Of Sand And Fog" and unfortunately, no matter how nice and moody the directing debut of Vadim Perelman is and how visually attractive the film looks; it is not enough for me to love or even like it.
That's a shame, because "House Of Sand And Fog" boasts several excellent performances -- especially Kingsley's, whose Behrani is a man of honor, loving father and husband yet the man of the iron will and determination who once gave the orders and people would follow them.
After all, she is in her home land and thinks that nothing can happen to her since she has all the rights in her court.Ben Kingsley's powerful performance as the Iranian colonel whose dreams of financial independence come to a tragic end shows such intensity that he smolders the screen every time we see him.
Every aspect of this film is wonderful.It is not a feel-good movie but the story, the characters, plot lines, dialog, cinematography is very well done.I loved this movie so much I watched it for the 5th time recently.The cast is perfect.
This is movie about people who believe in something and people who are completely lost,which typical representatives are of course also typical Americans,local cop and a girl that lost her home because of her negligence.Two worlds that are meeting in this somehow timelessly tragedy kind of correspond to global state of this double- minded,schizoid world that we are living in: family that has lost everything-homeland,way of life but nevertheless saved pride,dignity and loyalty of all it's members and as an antipode two lost souls,raised in emptiness of broken western civilization,without any moral or any other compass at all,with no belief or even a little scent of it,where children are treated like just a things,collateral trouble in eternal pursuit for "happiness","accomplishment" and other foolishness of modern "liberation" that nobody is buying anymore.Iranian colonel although just a refugee in a foreign world has more personal integrity in spite of his rigidity and almost fanatic will to preserve a smallest trace of lost world,gardens and restaurants of old Tehran then deputy leaving his wife and children just because he found new love-or we should say:new season love...till next season.However,with or without judgment of any participants of this tragic but deeply truly story,for me personally this is Kingsley's role of life-definitely brilliant.In the ocean of nihilism that we are all drowning in,this movie is really refreshment.Masterpiece..
A particularly striking example is when Colonel Behrani saves Kathy, and the ensuing hospitality that the family shows.Jennifer Connelly also gives a good performance as a depressed person, and I feel sympathetic towards her.
Buoyed by two strong lead performances and a masterclass of cinematography, House of Sand and Fog works to illustrate the best tendencies of an adult drama, even coming around to make us feel significantly impacted by the end.Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Johnathan Ahdout, and Ron Erland.
House of Sand and Fog is superb film dealing with two unlikeable characters, their awkward fight over property and their struggle to jump to better their lives quickly.
Armed with a dramatic screenplay, powerhouse performances and a beautiful score and cinematography, House of Sand and Fog gets interesting as it proceeds and sucks the viewer in like quicksand.But somewhere around three quarters into the film, an out-of-nowhere twist spoils the entire show!Beginning with the concept and story – it is excellent.
house of sand and fog, is one of the best drama i have ever seen.the acting , plot , direction and music are really superb and wonderful.i will not forget this film very soon.the acting was really wonderful.ben kingsley as behrani, a strict person ,who has his own dream.
Damn, this guy is good!!The film itself only rates about a 7 because you never really feel for the Jennifer Connelly character.
Jennifer Connelly does a very good job of playing her role; I just didn't really care much for her character.Ben Kingsley, on the other hand, is doing nothing but trying for a better life for his family.