Drama, Rated R. 
Director: Vadim Perelman. 
Writer: Vadim Perelman. 
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard.

House of Sand and Fog is a dark tale about a self-destructive woman, Kathy Nicolo, who is evicted from her quiet and scenic San Francisco home one day due to unpaid business taxes.  Though Kathy blames this all on clerical error, she is nevertheless removed from the premises, with kid gloves, by Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon and the house is put up for auction.  A down on his luck Iranian family man, Amir Behrahi, buys Kathy’s home hoping it will provide a second chance to restore the honor and dignity he once held in his native country.

Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) portrays the depressed, recovering addict Kathy who has nowhere to go, no money to live off of, and wants beyond desperation to reclaim the house she inherited from her deceased father.  Kathy futilely attempts to convince the bull-headed Behrani, Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List), to give back what is rightfully hers as he strongly reminds Kathy that the house is now legally his.  Deputy Sheriff Burdon, Ron Eldard (When Trumpets Fade), who was moved by Kathy’s story, and her beauty, decides to help her reclaim the house by any means possible so that the two of them can live happily ever after.  The movie becomes a tangled triangle between Kathy, Burdon, and Behrani, as all three struggles to do what they each feel is right, causing catastrophic effects for all of them and everyone around. 

Kingsley and Connelly are top-notch actors and add a lot of emotional depth and dimension to the somewhat melodramatic story.  Eldard does a decent job as the lust-driven deputy, but his character lacks due more to the script than his overall performance.  Shohreh Aghdashloo and Jonathan Ahdout nicely compliment the cast as Kingsley’s loyal wife and teenage son who are torn between their respect for Behrani and the pity they feel for Kathy.

First-time director Vadim Perelman, who also wrote the screenplay (based on Andre Dubus III’s novel), certainly uses his cast effectively and provides the audience with some strong character studies.  However, the overall story is slow and most audience members will probably find that “depressing” doesn’t quite capture how one will feel once the movie is over.  It’s a heavy-hearted drama to be enjoyed only by people who love such.  For House of Sand and Fog seems to take its notes from a Shakespearean tragedy with every character flawed, and all falling from grace, in a sad world with lots of remorse and very little redemption. 

Bottom line.  Should you see House of Sand and Fog?  Yes.

Review by Chad Goldich