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Review by Dustin Putman
3 stars out of 4
Based on the best-selling 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III, "House of
Sand and Fog" is a stark, unflinching dual character study in which
both subjects are treated as severely flawed people. All fine and
simple, but what is so very arresting about Vadim Perelman's auspicious
directing debut is that he presents these two human beings as fully
fleshed out individuals. Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) and Massoud
Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley) may make the wrong decisions, some of
which have negative life-altering effects on themselves a nd those
around them, but they also have the power to feel compassion and,
in turn, become sympathetic to the viewer. It's a good thing, too,
because neither Kathy nor Behrani is going to get out of their dire predicament easily.
Kathy Nicolo, a former drug addict still ailing from the breakup with
her husband eight months ago, is distressed when she is evicted from
her Northern California seaside house over an unpaid business tax
that was mistakenly billed to her. While such a snafu might have been
cleared up had she not neglected opening her mail, Kathy knows no
way around it and suddenly loses the home that she grew up in and
that was left to her by her deceased father.
Sweeping in to purchase the property with astonishing quickness is
Massoud Amie Behrani, an Iranian immigrant who moved to the United
States years ago and has since been working multiple jobs in order
to keep up his appearance and satisfy his wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo),
and teenage son, Esmail ( Jonathan Ahdout). Behrani's planto raise
the house's asking price and make a tidy profitgoes awry when, in
desperation, Kathy tries to bargain with him herself and make him
see that the house was unfairly stolen from her. When Behrani refuses
to see the matter as his own problem, Kathy and new police officer
boyfriend Lester Burton (Ron Eldard) progressively get deeper and
deeper in over their heads. Before long, there is nowhere for anyone
involved to go but down.
"House of Sand and Fog" is notable for being both a drama and a psychological
thriller that might have come off as trite in lesser hands, but avoids
these trappings by realistically concentrating on the people involved.
For Kathy, an unhappy woman with not much going for her, her house
is the only connection she has to the American Dream. When it is taken
away and she no longer has the money for a place to live, Kathy finds
herself on a self-destructive path. Jennifer Connelly (2003's "The
Hulk") is remarkable as the emotionally shattered Kathy, breathing
poignancy and desperation into a complex role. Kathy's problems would
never have occurred had she been more responsible, yes, but otherwise
it is the government's error and she has done nothing wrong. Connelly
makes this conundrum palpably felt.
For a long time, Behrani is unlikable, both because he has a bad temper
toward his beloved family and because it is so clear that, although
legal, what he refuses to do for Kathy is out of purely selfish reasons.
When a key moment comes in the third act, however, Behrani proves
that he is capable of true empathy. Unfortunately, his change of heart
may have come too late. Ben Kingsley (2002's "Tuck Everlasting"),
like his Behrani, comes into his own near the end and sheds new light
on him. When this arrives, Kingsley is nothing short of mesmerizing.
As Behrani's caring, but doubting, wife, Nadi, Shohreh Aghdashloo
memorably brings multiple layers to her own part. Nadi loves her husband,
but she is intentionally kept out of the loop on what is going on
between Behrani and Kathy. Because of this, she fears for her family's
future and isn't sure who she can trust. The underrated Ron Eldard
(2002's "Ghost Ship") also turns in a fine performance as the intriguing
Lester Burton, who joins Kathy on her crusade and is willing to give
up his entire family to be with her. Even as Lester starts caring
for Kathy and her plight, he somehow also derives pleasure from seeing
her fall off the wagon of her sobriety. It is as if, without his children,
he needs someone to need him, and he chooses Kathy as his victim.
Evocatively photographed by Roger Deakins (2003's "Intolerable Cruelty"),
who gives the brooding on-location scenery of the Northern California
coast a life of its own, "House of Sand and Fog" refuses to offer
simple solutions and easy answers. In building its premise and characters,
director Vadim Perelman takes his time before things become so intense
and unpredictable that claustrophobia threatens to set in. The amazingly
downbeat conclusion, which features an unforgettable symbolic images
of three people on a bed, is certainly effective on its own, but doesn't
quite succeed amid the bigger picture. Nothing is really solved by
the time the end credits arrive, and Kathy's character arc is left
wide open. It's distracting and mildly unsatisfying, but then that
may be the whole point. For viewers courageous enough to withstand
the bleakest of stories and the most cynical of outcomes, "House of
Sand and Fog" is a challenging motion picture that deeply enthralls
for the whole of its two hours.
Copyright © 2003 Dustin Putman
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out of 4
