House Of Sand And Fog
Academy Award winners Sir Ben Kingsley (Ghandi) and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) star in the drama House Of Sand And Fog, based on the acclaimed bestseller by Andre Dubus III. Massoud Amir Behrani (Sir Ben Kingsley) is living a lie to fulfill a dream. Once a member of the Shah of Iran's elite inner circle, he has brought his family to America to build a new life. Despite a pretense of continued affluence, he is barely making ends meet until he sees his opportunity in the auction of a house being sold for back taxes. It is a terrible mistake. Through a bureaucratic snafu, the house had been improperly seized from its rightful owner, Kathy Lazaro (Jennifer Connelly). The loss of her home tears away Kathy's last hope of a stable life-a life that had been nearly destroyed by addiction-and Kathy decides to fight to recover her home...at any cost. House Of Sand And Fog exposes the unsettling truth that it is sometimes our hopes and not our hatreds that drive us to ruin, in a devastating exploration of the American Dream gone terribly awry. The film also stars Ron Eldard (Black Hawk Down) as deputy sheriff Lester Burdon, who tries to take the law into his own hands to help Kathy, major Iranian film star Shohreh Aghdashloo as Behrani's wife, Nadi and Jonathan Ahdout as their son Esamail.
Member Reviews
Amazing! - crazyboutmovies
What a stuning piece of storytelling this is. I personally would watch anything that Ben Kingsley does, and he does not dissapoint here. His portrayal of the Iranian immigrant, formerly a high ranking military officer under the Shah, is utterly convincing.
Jennifer Connelly also did a more than credible job as the passive-aggressive young woman scheming to get her house back.
Everything about this movie is perfect. If you haven't seen it, rush out and rent this.Great art tells the truth - Barb1
This movie is slow moving, meditative, and sympathetic to all its characters who are trapped in a strange convergence of circumstance - some of which they brought about themselves, some of which they had no control over. Heavy in symbolism and imagery, and acted with such great skill it takes your breath away. There are no villains here, but everyone is allowed the full expression of their humanity, for better and for worse. Not an uplifting film, but scenes and lines from it remained with me long after.Sometimes, there are no winners. - cathyottawa
And sometimes, there are no villains, even when everything is going wrong for everyone.
If you're looking for a feel good movie, steer clear of this one. If you're looking for Oscar worthy performances (and this did get two acting nominations) in a powerful drama with complicated characters and a riveting story you won't soon forget, rent this excellent film.
Connelly and Kingsley play two sides of one coin in this story.
They each hold preconceived notions about the other, that boarder on prejudice, and each come to learn that they are not each other's enemies, so much as victims of cruel circumstance.
That's as much as I can say without giving things away. Don't let the dark subject matter scare you away - this is an engrossing film.
Member Reviews
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Amazing! - crazyboutmovies
What a stuning piece of storytelling this is. I personally would watch anything that Ben Kingsley does, and he does not dissapoint here. His portrayal of the Iranian immigrant, formerly a high ranking military officer under the Shah, is utterly convincing.
Jennifer ...Great art tells the truth - Barb1
This movie is slow moving, meditative, and sympathetic to all its characters who are trapped in a strange convergence of circumstance - some of which they brought about themselves, some of which they had no control over. Heavy in symbolism and imagery, and ...Sometimes, there are no winners. - cathyottawa
And sometimes, there are no villains, even when everything is going wrong for everyone.
If you're looking for a feel good movie, steer clear of this one. If you're looking for Oscar worthy performances (and this did get two acting nominations) in a ...