Product Details

• Actors: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens
• Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Dreamworks Video
• DVD Release Date: March 30, 2004
• Run Time: 126 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (288 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001DMVBC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,689 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "House of Sand and Fog" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jennifer Connelly followed up her Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind with this dark but moving story of small mistakes that escalate, with tragic necessity, to disaster. In House of Sand and Fog, Kathy (Connelly) gets evicted from her house for failing to pay a tax she never should have been charged in the first place. The house is swiftly put up for auction and bought by a former military officer from Iran named Behrani (Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast). When legal efforts fail her, Kathy turns to a sympathetic cop (Ron Eldard, Bastard Out of Carolina), who wants out of a loveless marriage and who's willing to step over legal boundaries if it might give him a fresh start. Topnotch performances by the entire cast make House of Sand and Fog a compelling psychological drama; your sympathies will be pulled in all directions. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Academy Award winners Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) deliver stunning performances as two strangers whose conflicting pursuits of the American Dream lead to a fight for their hopes at any cost. What begins as a struggle over a rundown bungalow spirals into a clash that propels everyone involved toward a shocking resolution. "The surprise ending will leave you breathless!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

199 of 213 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heartbreaking and Stunning "House" of Emotions!, March 6, 2004

By 

Mark D. Cunningham (Austin, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Sand and Fog (DVD)

With the exception of Niki Caro's sublime "Whale Rider," no movie moved me more this past year than Vadim Perelman's "House of Sand and Fog." This story of a broken and desperate young woman who loses her house because her depression won't allow her to simply open her mail and the determined and steadfast Iranian colonel who strives to secure a better life and future for his family is a cacophony of raw emotion and heartbreak. Further, it is a meditation on what is important in life and how easy it is--no matter the intentions--to forget that very thing.

This is a movie that is well photographed, beautifully adapted from Andre Dubus III's Oprah-approved novel of the same name and stunningly helmed by first time feature director Perelman. But "House" is a film that is anchored by its performances. There is hardly a false note in the acting (Ron Eldard occasionally seems overwhelmed by the powerhouse actors who surround him, however his work is still convincing). Jennifer Connelly conveys Kathy Niccoli's despair wonderfully. You can feel the depression wholly consuming her.

Ben Kingsley is superb! The scene in the hospital near the end of the film is a master class in acting. Kingsley's work is brave throughout the film--he allows the audience to see Colonel Behrani's flaws and hold him accountable for them while also helping us to understand that his ambition, his dreams and desires are to serve the needs of his family. It is among the most dynamic work by an actor in any year.

As fine as Kingsley is, however, my favorite performance of last year and now one of my favorites of all time has to be the stunning work by the invaluable and flawless Shohreh Aghdashloo. In her role as Behrani's patient and loving wife Nadi, Aghdashloo is grace under pressure. I dare you to catch this marvelous actress acting. She is the heart and soul of this film. It is through her expressive eyes that we understand what is at stake and what a home and family truly means. In dialogue that blends Farsi and broken English, Aghdashloo's Nadi is heard loud and clear, there is no mistaking anything she is thinking or saying. Let's face it: the Academy screwed up royally by awarding Renee Zellweger the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her Granny Clampett-ish Ruby in "Cold Mountain" (I say this completely realizing that Zellweger singlehandedly saved "Cold Mountain" from its own pretention). The devastatingly beautiful Aghdashloo far and away claimed the prize with the superlative work she delivers in each and every scene she steals. Here is hoping that Hollywood keeps this major, major talent working for years and years to come.

Buy/rent "House of Sand and Fog," which also boasts a very fine performance by young actor Jonathan Adbout as Kingsley and Aghdashloo's son, Esmail. Despite its heavy subject matter, it is a dynamic piece of filmmaking complete with some of the best performances of last year. This film haunted me for weeks after I saw it, and it has yet to release my thoughts completely.

A job well done!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHEW!!! One of the year's best without a doubt!!!, January 15, 2004

By 

RMurray847 "afilmcritic.com" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This is an emotionally wrenching movie...utterly fascinating and devastating. Some critics have blasted the movie for having an over-the-top or far-fetched ending. The ending is quite devastating, but it is totally convincing and earns its "tragedy" the old fashioned way...by making us care VERY much for the characters.

You probably know the basic plot. Jennifer Connolly, a recovering addict who is still in deep depression, has ignored pleas to pay taxes on the home she inherited from her father, and is suddenly evicted with no place to go. The house is bought by Iranian emigree (and former colonel and confidant of the Shah) Ben Kingsley, as a way of bringing his family a little closer to the American dream.

Kingsley has no idea the circumstances under which Connolly loses her house...he's got things pretty rough himself. Some early scenes in the movie beautifully show the dignity with which Kingsley endures two horrible jobs...working on a road crew and in a convenience store. This is a proud man, a formerly important one, who strives mightily to keep up appearances...not just for his own pride, but so that his daughter can marry well and so his son can go to university. He is a prickly man, no doubt, but noble.

Connolly realises that the house was really the last lifeline holding her to some semblance of sanity. She readily admits that she didn't even take good care of it, but upon losing it, she becomes obsessed with getting it back.

She is joined in this by the cop who initially helped evict her, played by Ron Ellard. He has his own problems, including what he considers to be a shaky marriage. His attraction to Connolly turns into an obsessive need to prove his worth to her by getting her the house back. No matter what!

I will say right here and now that this is the best acted film of the year. 21 GRAMS was no slouch in the acting department and MYSTIC RIVER was darn good too. But these performances totally drew me in. I found myself leaning forward in my seat in anxiety and empathy. My wife gasped several times during the viewing, as the inevitable tragedy began to unfurl. We both wanted things to change. We were INVOLVED.

Connolly is terrific as always. She's a beautiful, quiet actress, who has a few moments in this movie that are so raw and stunning...her reserve finally comes down a bit. The actress who plays Kingsley's wife (sorry, I don't have her name handy...my grievous error) is FABULOUS. She MUST get nomitated for an Oscar...and she MUST get more work her in the states. I was absolutely floored. And the young man playing their naive, noble son is wonderful as well. Torn between loyalties and eager to prove himself...he is a true heartbreaker.

Ron Ellard is fantastically unlikeable, and that's perfect for the movie. He holds his own quite well.

Ben Kingsley, in my opinion, deserves the best actor Oscar. His colonel has so many layers, but Kingsley lets us see them all, playing just below the surface. His character is the opposite of his explosive work in SEXY BEAST. There everything was on the surface...here it's hidden beneath his impossibly straight back and intense eyes. I've always liked him a lot as an actor, but this film, I believe, puts him on yet a higher plane. He is one of the greats!

GO SEE THIS FILM!!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel, er, House..., April 29, 2004

By 

Rustin Parr "Rustin Parr" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

You may have never heard of "House of Sand and Fog" as it went over the heads of mainstream audiences as quiet and transparent as the fog itself. But it is worth an extra squabble or two to hunt and experience this movie playing in very limited theaters near you (it is available on DVD right now). Based on a book with the same name by Andre Dubus III, picked by Oprah as her book club selection, this is a very powerful albeit depressing movie that will greatly satisfy those who are craving for an antidote for the usual fun and safe movies. This is a "feel bad" movie, not a "feel good" one, that will leave you very angry and miserable for days to come. Yet, you choose to, because that is exactly the point. The ugly side of human nature is not a pretty thing.

Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley) is a former colonel in the service of Iranian Shah who fled from his country with his wife Nadi, a seemingly spoiled yet very kind woman, and his son Esmail to America. As an immigrant, now living in a country where racism, prejudice and cultural differences seep through quietly yet painfully, Massoud tries to maintain his dignity and pride by working as a road maintenance by day and a cashier at a convenience store by night to provide a good future for his family.

His determination for the American dream rises as he sees a money-making opportunity when he stumbles upon an auction of a house confiscated by the county to pay back taxes. Massoud buys it and fixes it and plans to sell it four times than the original cost. All is well if it isn't for the fact that the house is owned by Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly), who inherited it from her deceased father eight months ago. Unfairly evicted by the government just because she couldn't pay her taxes that she shouldn't have been charged for in the beginning, Kathy, an emotionally broken, reformed alcoholic whose husband left her, is now homeless with no money.

The two characters collide like train wreck as Kathy starts to stalk the family, desperately wanting the only stable thing in her life, and Massoud refusing to step down from his decision because it is a necessity for his family. Adding to this, enter a married cop named Lester, whose infatuation of Kathy begins to teeter, corruptly using his profession to threaten Massoud of deporting him and his family back to Iran if he doesn't give the house back.

This combination of three characters kicks off the storyline into high gear, culminating into an unbearable aftermath of tragedy after tragedy (and tragedy after tragedy...I could go on) as a result of pride, selfishness, self-destruction, obsession and misunderstanding. All because of a house, a building that is not just an inanimate structure, but a symbol of security, comfort and dreams. For Massoud, it is a measure of his stature, pride and obtaining American life. For Kathy: an inheritance, hope and sanity.

Under the assured guide of first-time director Vadim Perelman, a Russian who immigrated here in Canada, the characters are surprisingly very real because they aren't portrayed through the usual black and white mentality of good guys are just heroes and bad guys are just villains. The grey area is explored magnificently, our hatred of them switches to empathy and sympathy and vice-versa; we all want them to go through this unscathed (even though we all know this is not the case). These are human beings; smart, civilized and good human beings, whose stupid decisions they commit causes unknowingly severe damages in their own lives and to each other's as well, much to our dismay and sadness, just like what we do in real life.

All actors, notably both Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly, deliver great performances, making this is an electrifying Shakespearean tragedy, highly superior to generic Hollywood weepers, because of their respect for the heavy subject matter and of not playing one-note characters. One can say that Jennifer extends her persona from her character in "Requiem for a Dream". She cries, panics and cries again. But she adds a complex texture of pathos and fragility to her character, that it is not worth the qualms. She is a great actress whose ethereal beauty communicates the underlying emotions of a sad, tragic character. Ben, is of course, one of the best actors ever, gaining a well-deserved Oscar nomination this year. After all, he is Gandhi himself. He is a knock-out as the stubborn but well-intentioned father. This duo is what I call "Bennifer", a miraculous contrast to the other "Bennifer" whose vanity project is the "Ishtar" of the next generation.

The technical aspects of the movie, which are done expertly and all worth applauding for; the haunting, eerie and moody cinematography, the luminous and beautiful transitional shots of the fog rolling on the horizons of the bay, the score by James Horner providing a searing and sinister counterbalance to the restraint and subtle emotions that are eventually going to explode in the end of the movie, are just icing on the cake. It is the capability of the actors that validates us to fully participate with our hearts and minds (and perhaps also to justify that it IS worth sticking with such sadness and misery).

A very beautiful thing to look at, a thought-provoking play of morality, law and culture worth discussing for hours, and an unbelievably painful and excruciating experience to take part in (for good reasons), "House of Sand and Fog" is an intelligent and unique film that features among the most realistic characters in recent cinema, all we weep for by the end.

Witness the heavy whiff of the fog that is both mesmerizing and slated for doom. It also wouldn't hurt to bring your own bottle of Prozac (and perhaps a comedy marathon afterwards)!