La casa de arena y niebla

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. It is a dissertation on sorrow, and while I'm glad I saw it, I can't say I had a whole lot of fun.

'House' was directed by newcomer Vadim Perelman, who also adapted the screenplay from the acclaimed novel by Andre Dubus III. Perelman tweaks the story in some respects but is ultimately faithful to the novel's style and sensibility. 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). The house belongs to Kathy, who inherited it (along with her older brother, who lives elsewhere) from her deceased father. 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. Behrani is the story's tragic hero in the classical sense. Behrani has been saving and shrewdly watching the classified ads waiting for a chance to snap up a foreclosure at a cut rate price, make modest renovations, and then resell the property at peak market value in order to acquire a six-figure nest-egg to fund his son's education and improve his family's future prospects in the US. Fortuitously, the house he buys at auction--Kathy's house--is a coastal property bearing some resemblance to his former home on the Caspian Sea, back before his family fled Iran. 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. I didn't think at first that I'd be able to believe the stunningly beautiful Jennifer Connelly as Kathy, a woman who redefines the term 'self-destructive,' and yet Connelly manages once again as she did in 'A Beautiful Mind' to prove that her talent and skill match or even exceed the looks. It really goes without saying that Ben Kingsley's Behrani is a stunning performance--Kingsley is a mesmerizingly charismatic screen presence and a chameleonic character actor; few actors in the history of film have been able to so convincingly disappear into their characters while projecting such a distinctive, distinguished persona. 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. And there are moments where you may find yourself exasperated with the characters and unwilling to maintain your sympathy for them. Personally, I think it's worth a look for the quality of the performances alone. It's also quite original and distinctive in style. It's devastatingly sad, however, and so should be reserved for appropriate moods.

Jennifer Connelly is terrific ! This is a very sad story of a woman left by her husband, and lost her home ... Life can throw some curveballs, and sometimes, a person could never really recover from such tragic events... sometimes I when I see some homeless people, I just can't help but wonder if something similar to this has happened to them. Truly sad... a movie that makes you re-think of yourself, family, and other people.

"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. Set in a fog-drenched Southern California community, Perelman sets two immoveable forces apart from each other -- Cathy, a recovering alcoholic burdened by the memory of her late father, still trying to prove that she is a responsible person in his eyes, and Behrani, a colonel driven out of Iran with his family and desperately trying to maintain a life of stability and promise. In these two roles, Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley give steely performances, each presenting troubled souls trapped within stubborn facades. Connelly once again gives a masterful performance, balancing a reckless sensuality with the desire to find acceptance and love within anything, even a house where the memories have become so painful that the mail becomes too much to take.

Kingsley, of course, is perfect. The subtleties of his facial expressions when presented with moments of joy and frustration are masterfully restrained. This is his best performance of his illustrious career.

When Kingsley and Connelly finally clash, halfway through the movie, the movie, having until then been a paean to silence and unspoken loyalties, becomes a terrifying thriller, riveting everyone with whom I saw the picture. Perelman moves from a mood piece to a suspenseful drama effortlessly. 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. Joy is very difficult to spot in the film, but "House of Sand and Fog" provides the joy we get when being moved to powerful emotions by a wonderful symphony.

My best film of 2003 -- unquestionably 10/10.

The concept of the American dream emerged after World War II, when the US began to establish itself as a great world power. Since then, the dream of a better life, nurtured not only by American citizens, but also by foreigners who move there in order to find a more dignified survival, has been the subject of countless films, as in the drama House of Sand and Fog, Vadim Perelman's first film work.

In this feature film by Russian (USA based) Vadim Perelman, the concept of 'family' once again assumes an important place in the narrative, which revolves around Kathy (Connelly), an ex-addict who, after being abandoned by her husband, she is surprised by a notification that her house will be auctioned in order to pay taxes related to her company. The problem is that Kathy doesn't own any business - but before she can clear up the misunderstanding, the property is sold to an Iranian immigrant (Kingsley) for a value far below the market price. With nowhere to sleep, the girl gets help from Lester (Eldard), one of the police officers responsible for her eviction, who recommends a lawyer. Unfortunately, to resolve the impasse, the new owner of the house would have to resell it to City Hall for the same amount paid in the auction - something he refuses to do. From there, Kathy and Behrani (the immigrant) begin a real psychological battle that results in pain and suffering for all involved.

With a script bound by a structure in which it is not possible to measure or compare the dimension of suffering between Kathy and Behrani, director Perelman manages to create an excellent situation of injustice in which no one is to blame and everyone is a victim. And the mise-en-scène, aided by the natural landscape of Northern California, give the dense and suffocating atmosphere that surrounds the dreams of the two characters. Almost always surrounded by a strong fog, the much-disputed house is the very representation of this dream, which sometimes has the image dissipated by reality.

In fact, the beauty of this project (adapted from the book of the same name by Andre Dubus III) begins in its title: when identifying the house that becomes the center of the dispute as being from 'House of Sand and Fog', the film (and the book, of course,) summarizes, in a poetic way, the true meaning of property, which, for Kathy and Behrani, represents more than a simple material asset. For the girl, the house is both an icon of her past (since she inherited it from her father) and a symbol of her recovery. Keeping the property is a sign of maturity, of responsibility fulfilled - and losing it would be further proof of your inability to take care of yourself. For Behrani, the place represents, first and foremost, a good investment - and, consequently, the possibility of recovering part of the luxurious lifestyle he got used to in Iran, where he was an influential military man in the government. In addition, the immigrant counts on the money he will earn from the sale of the property to be able to pay for his youngest son's studies and, as if that were not enough, he still sees, in the property, a reflection of his old beach house. In other words: like sand and mist, which seem compact from a distance, but which slip through your fingers when touched, the house Kathy and Behrani wanted is an ethereal, elusive dream.

Another fascinating element of House of Sand and Fog concerns the personalities of its protagonists, who are not divided between 'Good' and 'Evil'. Behrani, for example, is an authoritarian man (inherited from his military past) and proud, but he is not cruel. And, despite recognizing that the simplest way to resolve the issue would be to return the property to the municipality, the subject considers (with some reason) that he should not be harmed by an administrative error - after all, he had worked hard to save the necessary money. To acquire the property and renovate it, and he cannot accept that his family's future is compromised by bureaucrats. Incidentally, Ben Kingsley, an actor with an already brilliant resume, delivers one of his best performances by perfectly illustrating his character's moral dilemma, humanizing him and transforming him into a complex and real figure. While portraying the Iranian's pride in resigning from the underemployment he had accepted to support his family, Kingsley moves the viewer in a scene in which the subject becomes totally vulnerable in the face of unexpected pain.

Meanwhile, the beautiful Jennifer Connelly takes on yet another suffering character and offers the ideal counterpoint to the usually confident Behrani, as Kathy always seems ready to fall apart. On the other hand, Officer Lester, played by Ron Eldard, is the only element of House of Sand and Fog who could be held responsible for all the suffering that unfolds, as he is a selfish guy who doesn't hesitate to use his badge to try to intimidate the immigrant family, revealing a despicable streak of xenophobia. And, since I mentioned the Behrani family, I must highlight the excellent performance of Shohreh Aghdashloo, who, as the wife of the ex-soldier, becomes the apparently most fragile person in history, since, as she does not understand English, it depends on the husband to understand what is happening - and unfortunately, Behrani is not very willing to explain the situation, leading her to fear even deportation (which would result in the death of her family, who are persecuted in Iran).

As much as the initial essence addressed by the plot seems to be somewhat empty or not very decisive, it is clear that the story manages to lean towards a brusque analysis of the choices we make and the modeling of our actions according to the individual principles of the characters. Once the climax starts to set in, it's impossible to deny how much depth the plot gains, revealing itself to be quite daring by touching pretentious social points, but without getting involved in a climate of cliché or falling into the fact that some films they intend to make social approaches end up forcing the development of facts in order to find out something in the end, as if they needed to force the public to have some kind of reaction or emotion. The investment in working minimally on the evolution of events is crucial so that everything that is articulated by the script gains credibility and gives a greater meaning to the film. The harmony captured by Perelman between the script and the direction is an interesting aspect to analyze, since we were able to perceive a certain affinity and awareness of what needed to be done to make a scene yield good moments. Using a lot of a dark and cold atmosphere, we can still see the director's pessimistic sensibility, as if he were warning the audience that the psychological and moral weights would be focused.

Perelman, by choosing a great cinematographer to accompany him, makes his tragic journey more surprising. Roger Deakins, responsible for the photography of the great Fargo, gives the proper treatment to the mist, making it a kind of character in the plot, as the presence of the natural phenomenon surrounds the house and surrounds certain spaces in a frightening way. Creating a melancholy and cold color scheme, Deakins helps Perelman build the mood of the film, which ends up being safely driven by the newcomer - especially when it comes to the performances. At times, Perelman reveals his inexperience in including less-than-subtle (or effective) shots, such as the one in which he rotates the camera around Connelly in order to create a superficially dramatic moment, but these small flaws do not compromise the final result.

House of Sand and Fog is a strong film, extremely touching. Its characters pursue their dreams in such a way that they put themselves in extreme situations. Furthermore, it is not a Manichean story. There are no good guys or bad guys, which brings the film even closer to real life. Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly deliver truly inspired performances. The desperation of its characters seems to have been incorporated by the actors to the last hair and it is also in the actors that the strength of the film is based. The work shows how difficult it can be to pursue a dream. And it's not just about the American dream, it's about any desire we have. The film shows the rawness of life in a way that it is impossible to feel compassion for its characters. The viewer ends up feeling sorry not only for one side of the story, but for both. They don't want to harm each other, quite the opposite. They're just chasing their dreams, as they say we should. Sad and morally complex, House of Sand and Fog is a film that fits perfectly into the Great Theme of the 2003 films: the family drama.

Movie It's a great movie, without a doubt, a strong and intelligent offering with some of the strongest and most heartfelt performances I've seen for a long time. Jennifer Connelly is stunning, and I don't just mean in looks, her acting is amazing and is picked up on the audio commentary again and again. One scene early on requires her to shed a single tear while talking quite normally on the phone, as if on queue it drops. You can hardly believe someone could give such a heart wrenchingly emotional and confused performance as this and manage to retain a normal life, watching her you believe that she is in a downward spiral of depression and self destruction. A totally believable and emotionally charged performance.

Ben Kingsley also gives a great performance, although not so outwardly recognisable in emotion, it's only really until you watch the audio commentary and listen to the praise given by the Director and author that you realise how subtle and exacting his performance is. 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. Particularly people of different cultures.

As the movie progresses and the events step further and further down towards their tragic conclusion, the characters become more and more complex. Starting as simple, pigeon holed characters that you've seen before, they soon become more real and pull you into the movie, wrapping you up in them. 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. The first is the subtlety, there are many images and scenes without words that you don't truly appreciate until a second viewing, or a very careful first one. The second is the way that Kinglsey praises the Director's style of never telling the audience what did happen and is going to happen, events just occur. For instance the breaking of the marriage of Ron Eldard, where there is no explanation given, it's just happened. 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. The light is always warm and inviting, with any artificial light looking sterile, and the darker shots bleak and dismal. Some of the time lapse shots between scenes are beautiful.

Audio Presented: The audio is very good, although there is nothing to really take advantage of a surrounding speaker system, the sound is kept sparse and atmospheric, with an extremely subtle and limited soundtrack it gives everything to the movie and never distracts.

Extras Presented: What strikes you about this DVD are the beautiful animated menus, black and white shots from through the movie fill the background giving you the feeling of mystery and indeed sadness.

The Deleted Scenes are good, although alongside they have a dull and very annoying commentary. Rather than talking about the scene and giving some insights you are treated to noises of laughter, snorting and approval interspersed with over the top bouts of backslapping. Awful, before it's over you're dreading the onset of the audio commentary. The Behind the Scenes is good, but nothing new.

The Photo Gallery is very well done as it's not a gallery at all, it's a featurette that is filled with stills between interviews with people talking about actors, characters and key scenes. It's a very engaging way of creating a gallery. Another huge extra is the Shohreh Aghdashloo Audition, it's truly amazing to see this actress work through some very emotionally harrowing scenes one after the other right in front of your eyes, it gives you a superb grounding in what it really means to be an actor and auditioning. With this performance it's hardly surprising she gained the role.

Finally there is the Audio Commentary, and after the pathetic commentary on the deleted scenes I was really concerned. However the backslapping was slightly subdued for the full commentary, still very evident but much more bearable due to the amount of information that was given about the story, filming and the actors themselves. 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. I really enjoyed this insightful commentary, although bordering on the crawling at parts, it gave you a lot more about the movie and the story. It also provides an interesting look at the actors and their methods.

Overall The movie is superb and firmly fixes itself in the realms of classic tragedy. The acting from both leads is stunning, particularly Connelly, and the supporting cast provide strong backing. Powerful, emotional and at times quite harrowing, this is superb entertainment and a movie deserving far more recognition than it did, again particularly for Connelly.