House of Sand (2005)
"Casa de Areia" (original title)

A woman is taken along with her mother in 1910 to a far-away desert by her husband, and after his passing, is forced to spend the next 59 years of her life hopelessly trying to escape it.

Director:

Andrucha Waddington

Writers:

Elena Soarez (screenplay), Luiz Carlos Barreto (story),

Stars:

Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, Ruy Guerra

10 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Fernanda Montenegro	...	Dona Maria / Áurea / Maria
Fernanda Torres	...	Áurea / Maria
Ruy Guerra	...	Vasco de Sá
Seu Jorge	...	Massu - 1910-1919
Stênio Garcia	...	Luiz - 1942
Luiz Melodia	...	Massu - 1942
Enrique Díaz	...	Luiz - 1919
Emiliano Queiroz	...	Chico do Sal
João Acaiabe	...	Pai de Massu
Camilla Facundes	...	Maria - 1919
Haroldo Costa	...	Capataz
Jorge Mautner	...	Cientista
Nelson Jacobina	...	Cientista
Alex Sander	...	Jão
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zumbi Bahia	...	Carregador Vasco #1

Storyline

Áurea arrives at a town in the dunes of State of Maranhão, Brazil, in 1910, having for female company only her mother Maria. She is pregnant and wants a way out of that arid place. But leaving is difficult and, somehow, she still hopes to find happiness there. The film follows these two lives for three generations, including Áurea's daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

1910s | dunes | goat | desert | brazil | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some graphic sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [br] Sony Pictures Classics [us]

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

The House of Sand

Filming Locations:

Lençóis Maranhenses, Maranhão, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

BRL 8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia TriStar Filmes do Brasil, Conspiração Filmes, Globo Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Waddington wrote the two lead roles especially for his wife Ms. Torres and his mother-in-law, Ms. Montenegro.

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Goofs

The movie takes pains to make reference to real events. However, the location marker erected for the scientific party at the total solar eclipse shows the wrong date. It should be 29.05.1919.

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Soundtracks

"Prelude Opus 28, nº 15"
by Frédéric Chopin

User Reviews

The Lone and Level Sands Stretch Far Away: A Human Drama

From the opening shots of immense bleached white sand dunes and scalloped, barren earth, to the strange caravan of humans and animals dwarfed by the natural landscape, a willing viewer can be transported to a world not ordinary, and what follows is a mesmerizing tale of physical and emotional survival under the worst of circumstances--and yet--there exists a mesmerizing study of human relationships, of mother and daughter, of races in conflict, of self trying to find a way home. This is not a noisy film, as films these days generally are, it is not bombastic nor particularly easy to watch; there is even a narrative trick tossed in midway which may at first confuse most viewers. But like another brilliant immersion in a stark world, the film Behind The Sun, this Brazilian gem is exquisitely photographed, convincingly acted, and hugely rewarding--if your goal in movie viewing is not to just be passively entertained.