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Movies / On DVD / House of Sand and Fog
House of Sand and Fog

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House of Sand and Fog (2003)

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Reviews Counted:166

Fresh:125

Rotten:41

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Powerful and thought provoking film.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for some violence/disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:27-02-2004

Synopsis: Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction... Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly star in the powerful drama HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG as two people fighting over the same house. Connelly is Kathy, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction and her husband's departure. Lost in her funk, she fails to check her mail, which includes letters threatening to evict her. After she is thrown out of the house she grew up in--wrongly, it turns out, so she seeks legal representation--Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley) buys the property at auction with the goal of selling it at a huge profit so his family can live a better life. Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian army, is determined to make his family's move to the United States a successful one--nothing matters more to him than his wife and son's well-being. But when he sees Kathy sleeping in a car outside his fence, he knows he is in for a fight. Based on the book by Andre Dubus III, Vadim Perelman's directorial debut is a fascinating study of family in the United States. Kathy has no one to turn to--her father is dead, her husband has abandoned her, and she's too frightened to seek help from her mother or brother. She falls for Lester (Ron Eldard), a deputy sheriff who claims to no longer love his wife. And Behrani is so dedicated to his wife (Shohreh Aghidashloo in a riveting performance) and son (Jonahtan Ahdout) that he blinds himself to Kathy's dire situation. HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG is a relentless, thought-provoking work that will linger with audiences long after the film ends. [More]

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout

Starring: Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly, Ron Eldard, Jonathan Ahdout, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Navi Rawat

Director: Vadim Perelman

Director: Vadim Perelman
Screenwriter: Vadim Perelman, Shawn Otto
Producer: Michael London, Vadim Perelman
Composer: James Horner
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for House of Sand and Fog

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/09/04
Guardian [UK]
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
03/01/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The excellent acting is not quite enough to make us care.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/16/04
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Could have been even more compelling with a less heavy-handed approach to the material.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/05/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

This House is worth a peek.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/19/03
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Perelman has directed Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, who play Kathy and Behrani, respectively, in the performances of their careers.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
12/25/03
Detroit Free Press
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N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/25/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/27/03
Boston Phoenix
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Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
02/16/04
Sunday Times (Australia)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Vadim Perelman's impressively self-assured directing debut harvests the terror and grandeur of classical tragedy from the everyday sorrows of contemporary American life.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/18/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The dramatic scheme is to show how two people ... intersect "tragically," but what we see is a group of characters who act as wrongheadedly and intransigently as imaginable.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
07/19/05
Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org

Una espiral dramática de desalojo en múltiples contextos.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
02/29/04
Alex Ramirez
Alex Ramirez
Cinenganos

Vadim Perelman keeps the film tense and knows how to direct actors. The performances given by Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly make this a must see movie.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
01/18/04
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

the very human longing for roots [and] how preconceived notions about other cultures are a recipe for disaster . . .deserve better than the cheapening melodrama afforded them

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/18/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

A balanced tale of the American Dream gone awry, made compelling by outstanding performances from Kingsley and Connelly.

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
01/15/04
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

If this movie isn't quite the contempo-Greek tragedy it wants to be, it's still a powerful, almost unforgettable meditation on fate, cultural collision and the morality of renovating a house that isn't really yours.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
12/27/03
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Latest News for House of Sand and Fog

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March 17, 2003: Click Here for Preview. Opens in new window
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