Review of House of Sand and Fog (2003) by S P — 26 Mar 2008

House of Sand and Fog shows what happens when you don't pay your bills.

Jennifer Connelly here stars as Kathy, a person who thinks she should get everything handed to her on a silver plate and that everything is not her fault when Bad Things Happen To Her (oh how I can relate). One day, her house is sold from under her when she doesn't pay her property taxes on time. After finding no success legally to try to get the house back (because everyone there is against her of course) with the help of a sympathetic cop she goes a little more off the deep end, much to the chagrin of the people living in the house now.

Meanwhile..

Ben Kingsley plays Behrani, a once prominent Iranian official, now forced to work two jobs in the US to make ends meet with his family. He sees his opportunity with a fixer upper house he wins at auction. He moves himself and his family, and after a few repairs to the house, will sell it at a higher price he got it for. Problem is, well, the wacky tenant that lived there before them..

This was a surprisingly suspenseful drama (I thought it was going to be more dramatic than it was). All performances here are right on the mark, and was darn more entertaining then I expected it to be. A great view!