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)

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   27,633 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% 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:
Incredible Comment On Cultural Gap In America more (433 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:
In 2009 Navi Rawat (Soroya) admitted that her wedding dress costume was so big and complicated to take on and off she had to have somebody hold it up for when she needed to use the bathroom. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Newspaper Auction Notice: Seized Property for Sale reads "2BR", yet the man showing the house says it has three bedrooms. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Officer at End: Are you Kathy Nicolo?
Kathy: Yeah.
Officer at End: Is this your house?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Ring Two (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Laylee more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
196 out of 238 people found the following comment useful.
Incredible Comment On Cultural Gap In America, 25 December 2003
Author: josephinerenae3 from Chicago, IL

First of all, anyone who says that s/he didn't "get the point of this movie" needs to go back to watching movies produced solely by Jerry Brukheimer because the point could not be more apparent to anyone of any intelligence. House of Sand and Fog is a commentary on the cultural gap between American-born citizens and immigrants from war-ridden countries such as Iran. Unfortunately that gap is shown for what it is: wider than ever.

The character of Kathy is portrayed brilliantly by Jennifer Connelly as an emotionally unstable young woman caught up in the turmoil of losing both her husband and her family's home within eight months of each other. Kathy ignorantly fails to realize that the house her dead father has left her brother and her is in jeopardy of being put up for auction due to unpaid taxes. Kathy comprehends, too late, that the thirty years it took her father to pay off their home has been in vain when it is sold to an Iranian family shortly after auction. Her character is pinned against Ben Kingsley's Colonel Behrani when Behrani buys Kathy's auctioned house in order to return his own family to a sense of stability. The audience is conflicted by its empathy for both character's need to satisfy his and her own pride in family and the preservation of his and her heritage.

The catalyst for the two characters' conflict with each other is drawn from the supporting character of Officer Lester (Ron Eldard), a representation of the ignorance and lack of empathy some Americans feel towards people whose lives have led them to seek better ones in the United States. While Behrani's main motive is to protect his family and give it a sense of security, Lester puts his own selfish pleasures before the wellbeing of his own family. Behrani and Lester are complete opposites, Behrani clearly the nobler. It is clear why Kingsley chose to do this role: Kingsley's portrayal of an Iranian refugee is both superb and honest, not to mention Oscar-worthy. The film shows that there are greater sacrifices in this world than those materialistic in nature. Ironically many Americans might find that point hard to absorb, probably the reason why they are so quick to write off House of Sand and Fog as "one of the worst movies" they have ever seen. House of Sand and Fog is a film, not a movie. Those who give this film a thumbs down need to get a dictionary and distinguish the difference between the two terms. Andre Dubus III's novel has been done justice. Thumbs up.

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