I saw this movie some time back on DVD after reading some rave reviews about it and I have to agree. House of Sand and Fog is a great movie.
Jenniffer Connely is Kathy Nicolo, a woman who has been recently dumped by her husband and is now in the throes of a severe depression.
Her state is such that she is barely surviving and as a result her life and her house are in a mess - she has received a letter from the county office regd some unpaid dues , non payment of which will result in her eviction from her own house and she is not even aware of receiving it.
The movie opens with her being rudely woken out of her slumber and the aforementioned eviction that leaves her stranded.
Ben Kingsley is Colonel Behrani - a former high ranking officer in the Iranian army who has taken refuge with family in the US. [I am not exactly aware of the history here, but I think that it has to do with the rise of the fundamentalist forces in Iran leading to the wipeout of those close to the liberal ruler of the time. ]
The bottom line is that he has no money , no house and is leading a double life - one working two menial jobs suffering all kinds of humiliation to earn the money to keep his family in relative comfort and the other is the facade of the rich, aristocratic ex-colonel with all his social status intact. We see that in the wedding that he organises for his daughter.
Once the house is in the market, the colonel buys it for a pittance. His dream is to refurbish it and sell it back for a handsome profit so that it will provide for his sons education and also help ease the life for him and his wife.
Kathy gets to a lawyer and the county recognises its error. Only problem is that now the Colonel is not ready to sell it back. And that is where the conflict arises.
Both of them are right in their positions. Neither has done anything remotely illegal. For Kathy, the house is her only link to survival and sanity. Her Dad had built the house and bequeathed it to her and losing it would be the last straw in her already sad life.
For the colonel, the house represents a last chance at some financial security and some of the social security that he is used to.
Caught up in this mess is the police officer who evicts Kathy from her house. He is already in the midst of a separation from his wife and offers Kathy a helping hand which gets tranformed into a full blown affair leading to disastrous consequenses.
Also caught up in this quagmire is the Colonels’ wife and son, participants and spectators in the drama at the same time.
As the movie moves towards its tragic denouement, one cant help but feel sad for everybody involved - its no fault of theirs and yet they all suffer. Perhaps there is something called destiny after all and man is just a pawn in its hands!!! (profound huh???)
Performances are top-notch. I’d seen Connelly before this in Requiem for a dream and once again she delivers the goods. She brings Kathy to life with all her insecurities, her fears and her failings.
Ben Kingsley imbues the colonel with dignity - in the way he walks, the way he talks and his actions. He does not speak too much and his eyes reflect all the turmoil.
Sarah A, an actress of Iranian descent , is just fabulous as the colonel’s wife and captures ones sympathy with her portrayal of grace and strength.[As an aside, the DVD had in its bonus features section, the actress’ audition and as the commentator says, it just blew everybody away with its honesty]
The actor who plays Kathy’s boyfriend .. dunno his name, has also put in a decent turn as has the young man playing the colonels son.
Direction is by a first timer (sorry... no name again) and it is most assured!! A really assured debut from this person.
The photography is fabulous and the house in question takes on a life of its own as it reflects the mood of the film - bight sunshine, dark creepy and downright evil in the climax.
The only minor quibble that I had is that its a tad slow and meandering at times and that might put some ppl off.
But even otherwise, I have no qualms in recommending it whole heartedly. A definite 5 stars.