'House of Sand and Fog' is a very depressing film that revolves around a young troubled woman named Kathy and a down on their luck family of immigrants, the Behranis. The conflict between them arises out of a mistake on the part of the County and the tax department which end up having devastating consequences on the lives of these people.
I think one of the main themes that gets explored in the film and what I connected with is how and the extent to which a sense of honour and self respect can drive a person's behaviour and make him/her stubborn. Kathy refuses to reveal her divorce and her sorry financial condition to her family because of this self respect. The Behranis at least at the initial stage of the film are putting on this facade of extravagance because of this self respect and because of their need and urge to not lose their honour in the eyes of society. The Behrani's had come to America with an idea of what the American Dream was about. The initial part of their life in America was spent in affluence and luxury. But even after their lives took a bad turn in a financial way, they feel the need to keep up this disguise of being a happy, well-to-do 'American' family. So much so that when Massoud tells his wife that they may have to move to a smaller, more ordinary house, it becomes a mentally shattering experience for her. In her eyes, moving to a new house, means going back to being an 'Arab' and relinquishing their new 'American'-ness. The sense of feeling like an outsider as an immigrant gets explored. On the other hand Kathy's problem lies in the shame of having undone the work that her departed father did on the house that she inherited.
The film is an example of a director elevating a flawed premise through great storytelling. The tone that Vadim Perelman sets for the film is melodramatic. The dialogue is a bit theatrical. But Perelman remains consistent with that tone, so it didn't put me off. There are some great moments of visual flair like the scene where Massoud while he is checking out Kathy's apartment, notices a shining window in an otherwise pitch dark room, another great shot is the shot of Kathy in the bathtub with her reflection in the water. But what Perelman excels at the character scenes for the most part. He gets good performances out of the actors for the most.
But the screenplay is a bit flawed in my mind which could be due to what's present in the book which the film is based on. The basic conflict that sets up the film is a bit unconvincing. Also the way the situations and circumstances constantly escalate in the last act of the film become increasingly bizarre, ridiculous and not believable. Perelman elevates this material by chewing the scenery a bit with his direction which in a way hides the weaknesses of the story.
The acting for the most part is good. Ben Kingsley is powerful and commanding. Jennifer Connelly like she did in 'Requiem for a Dream' plays a broken character very well. Having said that there are a few scenes involving every actor that could come off as a bit fake, but I guess that goes along with the tone of the film. However Ron Eldard as the character of Lester was a bit boring. His characteristics, his mannerisms and his actions range from bland to really off-putting and maybe the writing has a lot to do with it.
'House of Sand and Fog' is a depressing, heartbreaking film. It is not a great film in any sense of the word. It has a lot of screenplay and writing issues which may have their source in the original novel in terms of realism. It is a good exploration of pride and honour. But it's still certainly worth watching for the direction, the acting and the themes. Recommended.
I think one of the main themes that gets explored in the film and what I connected with is how and the extent to which a sense of honour and self respect can drive a person's behaviour and make him/her stubborn. Kathy refuses to reveal her divorce and her sorry financial condition to her family because of this self respect. The Behranis at least at the initial stage of the film are putting on this facade of extravagance because of this self respect and because of their need and urge to not lose their honour in the eyes of society. The Behrani's had come to America with an idea of what the American Dream was about. The initial part of their life in America was spent in affluence and luxury. But even after their lives took a bad turn in a financial way, they feel the need to keep up this disguise of being a happy, well-to-do 'American' family. So much so that when Massoud tells his wife that they may have to move to a smaller, more ordinary house, it becomes a mentally shattering experience for her. In her eyes, moving to a new house, means going back to being an 'Arab' and relinquishing their new 'American'-ness. The sense of feeling like an outsider as an immigrant gets explored. On the other hand Kathy's problem lies in the shame of having undone the work that her departed father did on the house that she inherited.
The film is an example of a director elevating a flawed premise through great storytelling. The tone that Vadim Perelman sets for the film is melodramatic. The dialogue is a bit theatrical. But Perelman remains consistent with that tone, so it didn't put me off. There are some great moments of visual flair like the scene where Massoud while he is checking out Kathy's apartment, notices a shining window in an otherwise pitch dark room, another great shot is the shot of Kathy in the bathtub with her reflection in the water. But what Perelman excels at the character scenes for the most part. He gets good performances out of the actors for the most.
But the screenplay is a bit flawed in my mind which could be due to what's present in the book which the film is based on. The basic conflict that sets up the film is a bit unconvincing. Also the way the situations and circumstances constantly escalate in the last act of the film become increasingly bizarre, ridiculous and not believable. Perelman elevates this material by chewing the scenery a bit with his direction which in a way hides the weaknesses of the story.
The acting for the most part is good. Ben Kingsley is powerful and commanding. Jennifer Connelly like she did in 'Requiem for a Dream' plays a broken character very well. Having said that there are a few scenes involving every actor that could come off as a bit fake, but I guess that goes along with the tone of the film. However Ron Eldard as the character of Lester was a bit boring. His characteristics, his mannerisms and his actions range from bland to really off-putting and maybe the writing has a lot to do with it.
'House of Sand and Fog' is a depressing, heartbreaking film. It is not a great film in any sense of the word. It has a lot of screenplay and writing issues which may have their source in the original novel in terms of realism. It is a good exploration of pride and honour. But it's still certainly worth watching for the direction, the acting and the themes. Recommended.