Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard

The House of Sand and Fog, which includes a superb job of acting by Ben Kingsley, is a lot like a very cinematic version of the "Metro" section of any national newspaper; you know, the one where the headlines are all about local murders and isolated community atrocities: "Husband Shoots Wife, Self" or "Four Slain in Bungled Robbery."

Beautifully shot and well-directed by newcomer Vadim Perelman, Sand and Fog also includes a very good performance by Jennifer Connelly. Her presence in this film, however, quickly brings to mind The Onion "In the News" headline "Chick Way Too Hot to Be Riding the Bus." Connelly is far too gorgeous to convincingly portray Kathy, the loser who can't manage to hang on to her father's beachside house. Unlike Charlize Theron, who obscured her perfect features for Monster, Connelly looks like she's shooting Sand and Fog in-between doing a cover for Vogue and a commercial shoot for Revlon.

Kathy's home, woefully underpriced by the county after they evict her for failure to pay a business tax, is snapped up by Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley), a former general under the Shah of Iran. Forfeiting everything he has to ensure his daughter a proper marriage and his wife a luxurious apartment, he's been reduced to being a day laborer. But when he spies the foreclosure notice for Kathy's home he realizes an opportunity to change his family's fortunes around.

Kathy becomes distraught and a vagrant, moving from a motel to her car, blaming the government and eventually Behrani for her misfortune. He wastes no time in making alterations that will increase the value of the residence and quickly slaps up a "For Sale By Owner" sign out front, asking quadruple the price he paid for the property. Kathy realizes that if Behrani is successful, she'll lose her father's house forever, and seeks the aid of Lester (Ron Eldard), a morally bankrupt police officer who is not above cheating on his wife with Kathy nor threatening Behrani for her.

Behrani, a stubborn, proud man, fights back more successfully than either of these two creeps anticipate, setting up a situation that can only end badly, which it does.

Though there's little to fault here, there's little to recommend either. This is a serious, somber, well-made piece, but worthy of what used to be a fall release. In the holiday frame, The House of Sand and Fog is like reading about a local residence burning down on Christmas Eve. See page (4) of the Metro section.