House of Sand and Fog (2003)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Vadim Perelman

Writers (WGA):

Andre Dubus III (novel)
Vadim Perelman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Some dreams can't be shared.

Plot:

An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her home's new owners.

Plot Keywords:

House | Auction | Marriage | Home | Fog

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Connelly	...	Kathy
Ben Kingsley	...	Behrani
Ron Eldard	...	Lester
Frances Fisher	...	Connie Walsh
Kim Dickens	...	Carol Burdon
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Nadi
Jonathan Ahdout	...	Esmail
Navi Rawat	...	Soraya
Carlos Gómez	...	Lt. Alvarez
Kia Jam	...	Ali
Jaleh Modjallal	...	Yasmin
Samira Damavandi	...	Little Soraya
Matthew Simonian	...	Little Esmail
Namrata Singh Gujral	...	Wedding Guest (as Namrata S. Gurjal-Cooper)
Nasser Faris	...	Wedding Guest (as Al Faris)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence/disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | USA:R (certificate #40189) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (uncut) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Author Andre Dubus III received more than 100 offers from film studios who wanted to make his book into a feature.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: The first time Kathy drives to the house, we see the view of her sitting in her car through the windshield. As the camera tracks around to the driver's door, the camera operator is reflected in the windshield near the rear view mirror.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Officer at End: Are you Kathy Nicolo?
Kathy: Yeah.
Officer at End: Is this your house?

Movie Connections:

Featured in 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Shokoufeh

can't believe it didn't win academy awards

This is a really good movie. The cast is wonderful. If this is a first movie I will line up for any future films from the director. Roger Deakons is superb as the DP. I only wonder how a first time director got him. The story is gripping and the cinematography is haunting. As I watched it I just kept wondering how it would end. I never saw the real ending coming. I loved all the characters and even wanted more. The juxtaposition of the two story lines was fascinating. I wanted to hate someone but couldn't. The only bad guy is the cop. Everyone makes mistakes but his just seem so brutal. I had never noticed Jennifer Connelly before but I will make an effort to see any films with her in the future. As I watched this film I asked if I should make some changes in my own life so that this sort of thing doesn't happen to me. If you read the synopsis you will miss what this movie is really about. Watch it. You will be better for it.