Maison de sable et de brume

Jennifer Connelly is terrific ! This is a very sad story of a woman left by her husband, and lost her home ... Life can throw some curveballs, and sometimes, a person could never really recover from such tragic events... sometimes I when I see some homeless people, I just can't help but wonder if something similar to this has happened to them. Truly sad... a movie that makes you re-think of yourself, family, and other people.

A visit from the bailiffs sets the scene, as they evict you from the place that's been a screen, from a world that's left you shattered, broken, worn out, weak and battered, now you're on the street and thoroughly demeaned. There are others who have also lost a place, who have lost all that they had, fallen from grace, they take their chance, but at what cost, as you pursue, oppose, accost, to recover sanctuary, your sacred place.

Some wonderful performances in a film that demonstrates how insecure the world can be, how subtly things can change for the worse and run out of control, and how the security and safety you've become accustomed to, can so very easily be removed.

This film is based on Andre Dubus III'S acclaimed novel "House of Sand and Fog". Dubus created a story of immense power about cultures and the gap between them, about human pain, about hope and ultimately about humanity and sometimes its tragic loss. Colonel Behrani (Sir Ben Kingsley) and his family, buy a house on the fictional area Pacific County, intending to ameliorate their lifestyle, as they have been banished from their home country, Iran. However, the previous owner of the house, a depressed young woman and recovering alcoholic, Kathy Lazaro (Jennifer Connelly), turns up and reclaims her property, which was taken from her because of a bureaucratic error. And when Kathy's boyfriend, Officer Lester Burdon (very effectively performed by Ron Eldard), a racist obsessed with the concept of justice decides to help her, all hell breaks loose. I cannot speak of the plot any further without spoiling it, so I will stop here. How can one tell a story and be more than a mere narrator? How can a book be adapted to film, without merely repeating what the book itself says? Not only does newcomer director Vadim Perelman answer this question, he gives us one of the best films of the past decade. Perelman doesn't waste a single detail. Everything is brought together to create an astonishing emotional impact. Like great directors such as Tarkovsky have done, Perelman approaches his every character and pierces through her/his soul. Every scene takes you deeper and deeper into the soul of the characters, without ever being slow moving or over descriptive. As for the performances, what can I say? Rarely if ever has a single performance moved me as much as Kingsley's. This gigantic actor delivers one of his best performances to date, he has immaculate control over every single aspect of his character, physically and emotionally. Connelly, one of the most talented actresses working today, is also breathtaking, creating a performance that is a quiet outburst of pain and regret. Shoreh Aghdashloo, portraying the most tragic character of the film (at least this is my view of her character), is heartbreaking. This is acting in its supreme form, I really don't think it gets better. She truly deserved an Oscar for this. Young Jonathan Ahdout is also excellent, we will definitely be seeing more of him in the future. However, I must warn you: If you are going to see this movie, prepare for an emotional breakdown. It is really one of the most devastating films of the past years and if you'd rather see a pleasant film, this isn't for you.

We are told that Kathy Nicolo lost her house through no fault of her own, but she didn't open the communications from the county and she let the house fall into a deplorable state when she lost her husband. Her knight in shining armor planted drugs on a wife beater knowing that was the only way to get him in jail where he belonged. He constantly drinks in front of a recovering alcoholic. When he, let's say eases her into drinking again (yes, her own decision) that's when he beds her, before telling his wife of many years and mother of his children what's up. BUT, he does come to Kathy's aid, and immediately, in many ways. Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani was part of the Shah of Iran's war machine, buying fighter planes from Boeing. When he comes to America he keeps a prejudice and communicates it to his son, saying, "Americans don't deserve what they have, they are children," this though he insists he is an American citizen. He doesn't care that he bought his house through a governmental error that displaced the owner into homelessness, but once he understands how emotionally invested she is in the house it doesn't take him more than a beat to regret his decision to stand fast in his attempt to make four times his investment. They are all faulty human beings who are also jewels. They try. The acting is the jewel in this movie, by both leads.

"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.