House of Sand and Fog (2003)

Frustration may very well be my Achilles heal...

To be honest, I like depressing. Seriously, I relish in it; I mean I practically bathe myself in depressing. I don't know why, label me weird all you want, but there is something about the cinematic representation of that whole `all is lost' that just really moves me in ways that most other cinema cannot. That said; Andre Dubus III's novel `House of Sand and Fog' was one of the most dreadfully depressing, ultimately frustrating novels I have ever read. This is coming from a guy who likes depressing (frustrating, now that is another story).

The film fares better than the novel for me (which also suffered from being far too long and overwrought) but to be honest, it never manages to lift itself high enough to become brilliant. I believe the potential was there, but I just don't think the film got everything right.

For those of you unfamiliar, `House of Sand and Fog' tells the story of Kathy Nicolo, a young and slightly immature woman who lives in a house once belonging to her father. When she disregards notes regarding a tax she is unfairly charged she winds up being evicted from her home, even though the tax should have never been administered to her. Before the damage can be reversed her house if put up for auction and purchased by Iranian former military officer Behrani. Behrani is desperately trying to give his family the stature they once possessed and he sees the purchase of this home and an opportunity to do just that. His stubbornness, as well as that of Kathy, lead to some very compromising situations, all of which could have been avoided had either of them acted like adults.

Like I said, this story is very frustrating.

That is my biggest complaint really. I remember reading the book and getting all sorts of anxious because I could not foresee any sort of redemption in these characters. I wanted to slap them all and force them to objectively look at their situation. Watching the movie is almost as difficult for me, because they do the same stupid things; it only fares better because you don't dwell on the situation for weeks on end, it only takes two hours this time.

The film does have some very high points as well though. The acting on almost every front is superb. Ben Kingsley and Shohreh Aghgashloo were both Oscar nominated for their performances, and deservedly so. Kingsley is a force as the confrontational Behrani, but it is Aghdashloo's blessedly restrained portrayal of his wife Nadi that steals the entire film (she should have won the Oscar, hands down). Jennifer Connelly is also very effective, but she takes a back seat to the commanding strengths of her co-stars. Ron Eldard is the films weak link, and while he is not entirely to blame (his character repulses me) he doesn't do much to make up for the lack of emotional connection his character possesses.

The direction by Vadim Perelman is well done. It captures the ominous tone of the film. Like I said, this does fare better than the novel, for it is not as deeply unsettling (although the ending is definitely heartbreaking) so one can actually `take' this one, but know that this is not for the faint of heart. If emotional distress is something that leaves you with any sort of lasting discomfort then stay away from this film, and please avoid the novel at all cost.

Yes, I love a good depressing film, but when depressing mixes heavily with unwarranted frustration I get overworked and overwhelmed. That said; I cannot deny the fact that this is still a very well constructed film that hits its mark on just about every level. The character of Lester really ruins a lot for me (I hate individuals that are `that' destructively stupid) but as a whole the film is very good, if not nightmarishly effective. October 16, 2008

Excellent Adapted Drama

A great drama that just missed the Oscar, "House of Sand and Fog" comes from the 1999 novel of the same name by Andre Dubus III, once a finalist for the National Book Award and making Oprah's prestigious book club list. It tells the resonating tale of two people battling over what appears to the reader to be a trifle of a house, but is the definition of the American dream to them and the price they both pay for their selfishness.

Jennifer Connelly is Kathy Nicolo, a hard-luck house cleaner who is a recovering alcoholic/drug user. She wakes up one morning to find the county clerk's office knocking on her door and when she opens it, a man in a suit walks right in, slapping an eviction notice on her door. He notifies her that her house is up for public auction the very next day and she must vacate the premises immediately. Kathy stands there dazed, cloaked only in a t-shirt and robe that reaches down to her knees. A young police officer named Lester Burdon (Eldard) files in after the suit-and-tie bully, his expression and demeanor largely sympathetic. He introduces himself and offers to not only help her pack her things but to find her a place to stay as well. Her acceptance of his offer is the beginnings of an illicit affair despite the fact that Lester is married with two young children.

As Kathy confers with her lawyer Connie Walsh (Fisher) and fights to get her house back over a discrepancy regarding a business tax, an Iranian named Massoud Behrani (Kingsley) spots the add for the auction in the newspaper and decides to buy the house at its severely reduced price, renovate it and then resell it at its true value in order to turn a profit for a better house. The marrying off of his daughter Soraya (Rawat) has reduced his financial burden but has also in turn drained his pockets and his wife Nadi (Aghdashloo) and son Esmail (Ahdout) are sustained by his two demeaning jobs. Ashamed to admit his real sources of income, Behrani changes into a suit and tie before walking into the apartment in the evenings, working countless hours as both as a trash collector (a grueling job for a man his age) and a convenience store clerk.

The house seems to be Behrani's salvation and they move in quickly, Nadi at first resistant to the move, claiming she doesn't want to live like a gypsy. The real gypsy lifestyle, however, is owned by Kathy, who goes from a cheap motel to sleeping in her car after her credit card is denied twice. Unable to part with her home, she consistently shows up there and beseeches Behrani to find another house because hers was sold by mistake despite the legitimacy of the sale. When she refuses his offer to buy it back from him for its real value, he brusquely escorts her off the property, bruising her inner arm in the process. Lester keeps checking up on her and motivated by his feelings for her, offers to help Kathy in her crusade to get her house back. His aid ends up being the unconscionable harrassment and intimidation of the Behrani family, particularly after seeing Kathy's bruises.

The battle between the two parties continues to escalate and culminates with both Kathy and Lester doing the unthinkable, both of their actions leading to a highly tragic ending that no one could predict.

All the actors here give brilliant performances, Connelly and Kingsley in particular. Kingsley gives another upstanding portrayal (when has he not, really?) as Behrani, the patriarch of his formerly affluent family now scraping to sustain a small semblance of the opulent lifestyle in America that they once knew in Iran. He is cool-headed, compassionate and hard-working, never overlooking an opportunity to make things better for his family - they are his duty, his life, his one and only love. Connelly is superb as Kathy, a woman heavily dwelling upon past mistakes as she fights to gain back the one true symbol of her waning prosperity. The bungalow becomes the stubborn passion of both and in their battle to keep it, they lose sight of what is really important. It is only when they chance to see each other's pain that they develop a mutual empathy, but by then it is too late - their fates are irrevocably sealed.

The score by James Horner (Titanic, Braveheart) is subtle and morose, unobtrusive and evoking just the right amount of melancholy. Fledgling Ukrainian director Vadim Perelman handles Dubus's novel with grace and poetry and neophyte screenwriter Shawn Lawrence Otto follows the story closely, making it one of the better book-to-film adaptations out there.

Bottom line: A heartachingly beautiful drama, "House of Sand and Fog" was nominated for three Oscars in 2004 (Best Actor for Kingsley, Best Supporting Actress for Aghdashloo, Best Original Score for Horner) but failed to pick up any trophies and it's baffling, as is no nomination whatsoever for the moving performance by Jennifer Connelly. But sometimes the best movies out there are the ones who take second place when they should've been in first. This film is gold, whether the Academy says so or not. October 9, 2008

1 word, P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L.!!!!

I have never seen a movie more powerful that this one. The plot it's unusual but that only makes it better. Jenniffer Conelly and Ben Kingsley shine, I was moved by their characters and their strogle... LOVED IT... Can not watch this movie with out shading tears.... September 22, 2008

Homewrecker

Jenifer Conelley should have worn a t-shirt reading "drama queen", because everything she touched in this movie turned to poo poo. This is what happens when a recovering addict "forgets" to pay her bills, and three innocent people ending up losing their lives in the process. It's amazing how her irresponible lifestyle affected others around her, she spun a pretty sticky web. Her cop boyfriend was no prize either, giving police officers a bad name. I think he should have had a worse fate than just jail. Jennifer Connely and Ben Kingsley did great jobs making the story believable, they had me sold. The ending did the movie justice, I was hoping she didn't end up with the house considering all the damage she caused. One thing I didn't like is how the movie was spun in her favour, making the Middle Eastern family out to be the villians. All the while I was thinking, oh here we go again, poor little white girl doesn't get her way so the world should stop and give her what she wants. This all boils down to a sense of entitlement. I'm sorry life doesn't work that way, and I'm glad the movie recognized that and had a fit ending to a compelling story. September 12, 2008

Bad

Having watched old-time movie serials and pro wrestling for most of my life, as well as soap operas for the last quarter-century I have become something of an expert in the forms of drama and melodrama. The primary difference between the two is that drama is fairly serious and straightforward, and the narrative unfolds over the real reactions of well-developed characters to given situations, whereas melodrama tends to rely on stereotypes, archetypes, and caricatures, and forces climaxes at certain points in a narrative- which is always propelled by the stupidity of the characters. Think of most soap operas- where dumb people foolishly tell deep secrets to those they barely know, and usually someone else is eavesdropping. In true drama- say, Patton, or Ibsen plays, things evolve more naturally out of the events that are portrayed and the protagonists' reactions to them. Of course, sometimes melodrama can rise above its worst tendencies to become drama. In the best of his plays, The Tempest or Hamlet, Shakespeare creates drama out of pure high melodrama, but in his worst- A Midsummer Night's Dream or Titus Andronicus- it's just fifth rate soap opera.
With those definitions in mind, welcome to the horridly melodramatic world of House Of Sand And Fog. This piece of tripe is one of those films like In The Bedroom (ironically penned by the father of this film's novel's author) that start out very well- it's well acted, beautifully filmed, and puts forth an intriguing premise- but falls to unrealistic pieces in the second half.... Also, once the flush of the toilet of the film's credibility begins and you know that the stupidest possible action will result the ending is predictable, no matter how out of character the actions are with the characters' earlier portrayals. Another point that sticks in my craw is that this is the third film in which Connelly is seen musing off the end of a pier- in almost exactly replicated shots- first in Dark City, then in Requiem For A Dream, now this. Why, exactly? Regardless, like In The Bedroom S&F cheats its audience with its unbelievable and unrealistic end. It's a far worse sort of feeling than viewing a film that was garbage from the first scene, for then you can almost feel a campy glee over the stupidity.
With this bad story I can only scratch my head as to why the filmmakers and company did not change the ending- that's the right and duty of any true filmmaker of merit, to make a story better- no? Obviously, they did not see the gaping flaws because on the DVD's featurette all the actors and filmmakers gush over the horribly written tale. As for the rest, the commentary is likewise banal and asskissy, but the film and sound quality are ok.
Yet, it all comes down to the poor script. This film is even worse than In The Bedroom, though, because as silly and unreal as that ending was at least it was in the realm of possibility due to the darkness of certain characters and events. In S&F we get a virtual bloodbath over a county clerk's screwup. Just silly. If I were to give the first half of the film a solid 75 the second half earns a 5, for a 40 out of a 100 total score. As my dad used to say: Ach du lieber Gott In Himmel! Scratch that- for even God would chuckle at this disaster!
September 11, 2008

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