Review of House of Sand and Fog (2003) by Layne W — 19 Jan 2009

"House of Sand and Fog" weaves a complicated yarn in which two opposing sides fight over the rights to a house, but neither has done anything wrong and there is no resolution to be made unless one relents and gives the house to the other.

But the stakes are enormous--for Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), the house rightfully belongs to her; it was left in her name by her father, and her eviction was a mistake. The Behranis, an Iranian family who swear they don't travel like gypsies but nonetheless move from house to house to make a profit, see that Kathy's home is being sold by auction and buy it.

The movie has no villains; characters do and say the wrong things at the wrong times, and all the while our sympathy switches back and forth between Kathy and the family. Kathy keeps showing up demanding Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), the patriarch of the family, give the house back to her.

He, his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and son are threatened with deportation. There are legal matters and complications with public relations. Xenophobia contributes to the Behranis' peaceful occupancy in America being threatened--if they are deported back to Iran, they will be killed.

Two characters attempt suicide; one succeeds. The lives of each of these individuals is driven deeper and deeper into despair until finally, we are left with a sense of how unnecessary the events that take place in the end are, and how unavoidable.

Jennifer Connelly, no doubt one of her generation's most underrated, underused, and astounding actresses, is mesmerizing to watch. She hits every emotional mark, but she goes further than that, and deeper than that, to reveal a woman so set-minded in her determination to get what is rightfully hers that she can't perceive the ramifications of her actions until it's too late.

Ben Kingsley is masterful, strong, and unwavering. His loyalty to his family imbues every decision he makes until he too has obstructed and compromised his dreams for a perfect life in America. As Kingsley's beautiful, supportive wife, Shohreh Aghdashloo is a consummate scene-stealer.

It takes a strong woman to quietly hold up her husband, and a strong actress to quietly hold up her costar--so powerfully does Aghdashloo play to the background that she unwittingly puts herself at the forefront of our attention.

She's a marvel. "House of Sand and Fog" is fascinating because of the power of its script, and the subtle way these great actors suggest a network of complications that can't be resolved without sacrifice.