House of Sand and Fog (2003) R - 4 Stars

I absolutely love this movie and have seen it three times now. You really feel for both the star characters when they get themselves involved in a situation that neither of them could control.

Kathy Nicolo, (Jennifer Connelly) has struggled in the past with drug and alcohol abuse. She lives in a house close to the beach but with her depression, she's let everything go . If she would have opened the letters concerning her house sooner, perhaps things would be different. But now she is faced with her home becoming improperly seized and up for sale.

Massoud Amir Behrani, (Ben Kingsley) his wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout) , are looking for an nice place to live in California. Massoud used to be a high-ranking official in Iran, and his family is used to living with certain finer qualities in life. Now mearly Iranian immigrants, Massoud is struggling to keep his head above water and keep his family living in the same luxuries they are accustomed to. No matter how many jobs he has to work, he gladly does it so his family never knows of his hardship.

When Massoud finds Kathy's home for sale at a cheap price, he jumps on it. With a few renovations he's thinking he can make some extra money eventually when he resales in order to send his son to college. But Kathy is not willing to go so quietly. Police officer Lester Burdon, (Ron Eldard) feels for Kathy's situation and tries to help where he can. No one's willing to give in and two cultures will collide as they both fight for survival in the house.

Awards include:
2003 - House of Sand and Fog - Independent Spirit Awards - Best Supporting Actress
2003 - House of Sand and Fog - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Supporting Actress
2003 - House of Sand and Fog - National Board of Review - Best Directorial Debut

DreamWorks
Director: Vadim Perelman
Writers: Vadim Perelman, Shawn Otto
Producers: Michael London, Vadim Perelman

I viewed 12/06