IMDb > House of Sand and Fog (2003)
House of Sand and Fog
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House of Sand and Fog (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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House of Sand and Fog (2003) -- TH post
House of Sand and Fog (2003) -- An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her home's new owners.
House of Sand and Fog (2003) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   27,596 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Andre Dubus III (novel)
Vadim Perelman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for House of Sand and Fog on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 December 2003 (USA) more
Genre:
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. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(80 articles)
Re-Poltergeist delayed
 (From JoBlo. 15 October 2009, 3:55 PM, PDT)

'Poltergeist' update release 'on hold'
 (From digitalspy. 15 October 2009, 10:24 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
An unfailingly beautiful piece of work more (432 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some violence/disturbing images, language and a scene of sexuality.
Runtime:
USA:126 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Author Andre Dubus III received more than 100 offers from film studios who wanted to make his book into a feature. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Kathy spills a significant amount of gas at the station when filling the canister, however, when she drives off, there is only a very small amount on the ground. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Officer at End: Are you Kathy Nicolo?
Kathy: Yeah.
Officer at End: Is this your house?
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Soghati more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
126 out of 149 people found the following comment useful.
An unfailingly beautiful piece of work, 30 December 2003
10/10
Author: breakneck from Washington, DC

"House of Sand and Fog" is by far the finest film I've seen this year, and probably the best I've seen since the dial turned from the 1990's into the new millennium.

Vadim Perelman makes a movie so astoundingly beautiful that one has to think he's been doing this for years, but this is his first film. Set in a fog-drenched Southern California community, Perelman sets two immoveable forces apart from each other -- Cathy, a recovering alcoholic burdened by the memory of her late father, still trying to prove that she is a responsible person in his eyes, and Behrani, a colonel driven out of Iran with his family and desperately trying to maintain a life of stability and promise. In these two roles, Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley give steely performances, each presenting troubled souls trapped within stubborn facades. Connelly once again gives a masterful performance, balancing a reckless sensuality with the desire to find acceptance and love within anything, even a house where the memories have become so painful that the mail becomes too much to take.

Kingsley, of course, is perfect. The subtleties of his facial expressions when presented with moments of joy and frustration are masterfully restrained. This is his best performance of his illustrious career.

When Kingsley and Connelly finally clash, halfway through the movie, the movie, having until then been a paean to silence and unspoken loyalties, becomes a terrifying thriller, riveting everyone with whom I saw the picture. Perelman moves from a mood piece to a suspenseful drama effortlessly. A jaw-dropping conclusion completes a powerful, unbelievably sad piece of work.

After a couple years of not finding a movie that stirred me, this is it, what we all look for in movies -- a harrowing story, beautifully filmed, cathartic and elegant. Joy is very difficult to spot in the film, but "House of Sand and Fog" provides the joy we get when being moved to powerful emotions by a wonderful symphony.

My best film of 2003 -- unquestionably 10/10.

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