House of Sand and Fog
Encyclopedia
House of Sand and Fog is a 2003 American drama film directed by Vadim Perelman
. The screenplay
by Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto
is based on the novel of the same name
by Andre Dubus III
.
The story concerns the battle between a young woman and an immigrant Iranian family over the ownership of a house in Northern California. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards
, Best Actor
(Ben Kingsley), Best Supporting Actress
(Shohreh Aghdashloo
), and Best Original Score
(James Horner).
that has left her depressed and indifferent to her surroundings, recovering alcoholic Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly
), living alone in a small house near San Francisco, ignores eviction notices erroneously sent to her for nonpayment of county taxes. Assuming the misunderstanding was cleared up months ago, she is surprised when Sheriff's Deputy Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard
) arrives to forcibly evict her from her house. Telling Kathy that her home is to be auctioned off, Burdon feels sympathy for her, helps her move out and advises her to seek legal assistance to regain her house.
Immigrant
Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley
), a former colonel
in the Iranian military who fled his homeland with his family, now lives in San Francisco working at menial jobs. Living beyond his means, he maintains the façade of a respectable businessman so as not to shame his wife Nadereh (Shohreh Aghdashloo
), son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout
) and married daughter Soraya. Seeing the auction of Kathy's house in the newspaper, he buys it for a quarter of its actual value intending to improve and sell the house and use the profits to secure his family's future. While driving by, Kathy is angered to see her house being renovated and confronts the construction workers, injuring her foot. Nadereh and Esmail treat her wound, but her jealousy at seeing how the Behranis have settled in only makes her more determined to get her house back.
Taking Lester's advice, Kathy finds an attorney who assures her that because of the county's mistake, they will return Massoud's money and the house will be restored to her. Massoud, having already spent money on improving the house, is unwilling to accept anything less than the much higher appraised value of the property, which the county refuses to pay. Informed that her only option is to sue the county, Kathy instead tries to convince Massoud to sell back the house for what he paid by telling him she and her brother inherited it from their father. Massoud refuses and angrily manhandles Kathy back into her car.
Desperate for help and a place to stay, Kathy begins stalking Lester and entering his private life, eventually seducing him into abandoning his wife and children and becoming her protector. Lester confronts Massoud under a pseudonym
, threatening to have him deported
if he refuses to resell the house back to the county. Massoud reports this to the police and identifies Lester from a photo, resulting in a reprimand by Internal Affairs
, and furiously warns Kathy to back off. Now aware that Lester is in trouble, Kathy calls her brother Frank for help, but he is unable to.
Despondent, Kathy attempts suicide
outside her old house, but Massoud finds her and brings her inside to recuperate. Kathy again tries to kill herself with pills, but Nadereh saves her by inducing her to vomit. As she and her husband carry Kathy to the bedroom, Lester breaks into the house, sees Kathy unconscious, and locks the Behranis in their own bathroom, refusing to let them out until Massoud agrees to relinquish the house. Massoud eventually offers to sell the house back to the county for the price he paid and will give Kathy the money in exchange for her putting the house in his name. Lester agrees to take Massoud and Esmail to the county office to finalize the transaction, while Kathy, wracked with guilt, reluctantly goes along with the plan.
Outside the office, Lester begins to manhandle Massoud and Esmail seizes Lester's gun and aims it at him. Massoud grabs hold of Lester and screams for help, drawing the attention of nearby police officers who misinterpret the situation and mistakenly shoot and kill Esmail. Massoud is arrested but is released after Lester confesses all and is imprisoned.
Massoud, distraught and grief-stricken after the loss of his son, goes home and kills Nadereh by lacing her tea with a lethal dose of medication. He then dons his old military uniform, tapes a plastic dust cover over his head, and asphyxiates
himself beside Nadereh's body whilst clutching her hand. Kathy eventually finds the couple and frantically attempts to revive Massoud with CPR
but she is too late. As the bodies of Massoud and Nadereh are taken away by paramedics
, a policeman asks Kathy if the house is hers. After a long pause, she quietly replies "no".
was a respected actress in Iran before emigrating to the United States. When the film roles offers were limited to terrorists
and other assorted villain
s, she turned to a career in the theatre
. This film marked her return to the screen after nearly two decades.
Jonathan Ahdout
, whose previous acting experience was limited to school plays, was cast as Esmail Behrani two days prior to the start of filming. His original audition had not impressed Vadim Perelman, but when he began to have doubts about the actor he ultimately had hired, he reviewed the audition tapes and saw something in Ahdout's performance he felt he previously had overlooked. He called him back and had him meet and perform with Aghdashloo. The chemistry between them convinced Perelman the boy was right for the part.
Establishing shot
s were filmed in San Francisco, Carpinteria, Pacifica
, San Mateo County, and Santa Clarita
, but the house of the title actually is located in Malibu.
An original soundtrack album
, featuring James Horner
's film score
and songs by Mohammad Heydari
and Elton Ahi
and lyrics by Leila Kasra
, was released by Varèse Sarabande
.
In the scene where Massoud speaks with Lieutenant Alvarez about Lester's threat, author Andre Dubus III has a non-speaking cameo as the Lieutenant's aid.
, 75% of critics gave House of Sand and Fog a positive review (126 "Fresh"; 41 "Rotten"), with an average
rating of 7.1/10.
In his review in The New York Times
, A. O. Scott
called the film "an impressively self-assured directing debut" and added, "[it] is the nearly flawless execution of a deeply flawed premise. Mr. Perelman inadvertently exposes the inconsistencies in Mr. Dubus's novel even as he comes very close to overcoming them . . . the conflict between Kathy and Behrani arises from a sin so trivial as to be almost comical . . . and every stage of its escalation seems determined less by the psychology of the characters than by the forced, schematic logic of the story. You feel the heavy, implacable force of the narrative without quite believing it."
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
said, "Here is a film that seizes us with its first scene and never lets go, and we feel sympathy all the way through for everyone in it . . . it stands with integrity and breaks our hearts." Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly
rated the film B- with the comments, "[it] has its pretensions, but mostly it's a vigorous and bracingly acted melodrama
spun off from a situation that's pure human-thriller catnip . . . though I do wish that the movie didn't spiral into the most shocking of tragedies."
Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone
rated it three out of a possible four stars and added, "Before it runs off course into excess, this brilliantly acted film version of the 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III moves with a stabbing urgency ... Vadim Perelman ... makes a smashing debut in features ... Prepare for an emotional wipeout." In The New Yorker
, David Denby
stated, "Ben Kingsley ... [is] the only entertainment in this noble pool of despair ... Vadim Perelman ... produces scenes of great intensity, but he doesn't capture the colloquial ease and humor of American life."
On Salon.com
, Andrew O'Hehir said it "features an astonishing pair of lead performances and one of this year's most impressive directing debuts." Channel 4
said, "There's nothing wrong in funnelling operatic tragedy through seemingly mundane domestic battles, but the way events escalate here feels deeply fraudulent ... heavy-handed allegory and symbolism wait at every turn ... though relentlessly downbeat, this is so overwrought, underdeveloped and ham-fisted that it's more unintentionally comic than genuinely tragic."
Vadim Perelman
Vadim Perelman is a Ukrainian-American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with House of Sand and Fog, following a successful career as a commercial director. The film, nominated for three Academy Awards, also marks his first screenplay credit...
. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto
Shawn Lawrence Otto
Shawn Lawrence Otto is an author, filmmaker, political strategist, speaker, science advocate, and screenwriter and co-producer of the movie House of Sand and Fog.-Bio:...
is based on the novel of the same name
House of Sand and Fog (novel)
House of Sand and Fog is a 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III. It was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2000 and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.-Plot:...
by Andre Dubus III
Andre Dubus III
Andre Dubus III is an American novelist and writer of short stories. He is a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.-Early life and career:...
.
The story concerns the battle between a young woman and an immigrant Iranian family over the ownership of a house in Northern California. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Ben Kingsley), Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
), and Best Original Score
Academy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(James Horner).
Plot
Abandoned by her husband and trapped in a malaiseMalaise
Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell"...
that has left her depressed and indifferent to her surroundings, recovering alcoholic Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
), living alone in a small house near San Francisco, ignores eviction notices erroneously sent to her for nonpayment of county taxes. Assuming the misunderstanding was cleared up months ago, she is surprised when Sheriff's Deputy Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard
Ron Eldard
Ronald Jason "Ron" Eldard is an American actor.-Early life:Eldard, the second youngest of seven children , was born on Long Island, New York. Eldard's mother died in a car accident when he was a child, and Eldard and his siblings were sent to live with various family members...
) arrives to forcibly evict her from her house. Telling Kathy that her home is to be auctioned off, Burdon feels sympathy for her, helps her move out and advises her to seek legal assistance to regain her house.
Immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
), a former colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Iranian military who fled his homeland with his family, now lives in San Francisco working at menial jobs. Living beyond his means, he maintains the façade of a respectable businessman so as not to shame his wife Nadereh (Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
), son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout
Jonathan Ahdout
Jonathan Ahdout is an American actor.Ahdout was born in Santa Monica, California to Yahya Ahdout and Jacqueline Hayempour, Iranian Jews who left Iran to go to the U.S. with their baby daughter in 1982 via Pakistan to Israel. Ahdout resides in Brentwood with his parents and siblings, Melody and...
) and married daughter Soraya. Seeing the auction of Kathy's house in the newspaper, he buys it for a quarter of its actual value intending to improve and sell the house and use the profits to secure his family's future. While driving by, Kathy is angered to see her house being renovated and confronts the construction workers, injuring her foot. Nadereh and Esmail treat her wound, but her jealousy at seeing how the Behranis have settled in only makes her more determined to get her house back.
Taking Lester's advice, Kathy finds an attorney who assures her that because of the county's mistake, they will return Massoud's money and the house will be restored to her. Massoud, having already spent money on improving the house, is unwilling to accept anything less than the much higher appraised value of the property, which the county refuses to pay. Informed that her only option is to sue the county, Kathy instead tries to convince Massoud to sell back the house for what he paid by telling him she and her brother inherited it from their father. Massoud refuses and angrily manhandles Kathy back into her car.
Desperate for help and a place to stay, Kathy begins stalking Lester and entering his private life, eventually seducing him into abandoning his wife and children and becoming her protector. Lester confronts Massoud under a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, threatening to have him deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
if he refuses to resell the house back to the county. Massoud reports this to the police and identifies Lester from a photo, resulting in a reprimand by Internal Affairs
Internal affairs (law enforcement)
The internal affairs division of a law enforcement agency investigates incidents and plausible suspicions of lawbreaking and professional misconduct attributed to officers on the force...
, and furiously warns Kathy to back off. Now aware that Lester is in trouble, Kathy calls her brother Frank for help, but he is unable to.
Despondent, Kathy attempts suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
outside her old house, but Massoud finds her and brings her inside to recuperate. Kathy again tries to kill herself with pills, but Nadereh saves her by inducing her to vomit. As she and her husband carry Kathy to the bedroom, Lester breaks into the house, sees Kathy unconscious, and locks the Behranis in their own bathroom, refusing to let them out until Massoud agrees to relinquish the house. Massoud eventually offers to sell the house back to the county for the price he paid and will give Kathy the money in exchange for her putting the house in his name. Lester agrees to take Massoud and Esmail to the county office to finalize the transaction, while Kathy, wracked with guilt, reluctantly goes along with the plan.
Outside the office, Lester begins to manhandle Massoud and Esmail seizes Lester's gun and aims it at him. Massoud grabs hold of Lester and screams for help, drawing the attention of nearby police officers who misinterpret the situation and mistakenly shoot and kill Esmail. Massoud is arrested but is released after Lester confesses all and is imprisoned.
Massoud, distraught and grief-stricken after the loss of his son, goes home and kills Nadereh by lacing her tea with a lethal dose of medication. He then dons his old military uniform, tapes a plastic dust cover over his head, and asphyxiates
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
himself beside Nadereh's body whilst clutching her hand. Kathy eventually finds the couple and frantically attempts to revive Massoud with CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
but she is too late. As the bodies of Massoud and Nadereh are taken away by paramedics
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
, a policeman asks Kathy if the house is hers. After a long pause, she quietly replies "no".
Cast
- Jennifer ConnellyJennifer ConnellyJennifer Lynn Connelly is an American film actress, who began her career as a child model. She appeared in magazine, newspaper and television advertising, before making her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America...
as Kathy Nicolo - The main protagonist/antagonist of the story, her house is stolen by the county and she resolves to take any means necessary to get it back. - Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani - An Iranian immigrant who buys Kathy's house and becomes entangled in a battle with Kathy for the house. - Shohreh AghdashlooShohreh AghdashlooShohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
as Nadereh "Nadi" Behrani - Massoud's wife. She doesn't speak very much English, but has a gentle heart and houses Kathy twice in the film. - Ron EldardRon EldardRonald Jason "Ron" Eldard is an American actor.-Early life:Eldard, the second youngest of seven children , was born on Long Island, New York. Eldard's mother died in a car accident when he was a child, and Eldard and his siblings were sent to live with various family members...
as Lester Burdon - The Deputy Sheriff. He feels sympathy and romantic feelings for Kathy, which Kathy exploits to draw him into the conflict. - Frances FisherFrances FisherFrances Fisher is a British actress. She is known for her work on television, in theater and in films, including roles as Strawberry Alice, the madame prostitute in Unforgiven , and Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of Kate Winslet's character in Titanic .- Early life and education :Fisher was born...
as Connie Walsh - Kathy's attorney. She attempts to convince Massoud that he is not the rightful owner of the house, but he refuses to fall for it. - Jonathan AhdoutJonathan AhdoutJonathan Ahdout is an American actor.Ahdout was born in Santa Monica, California to Yahya Ahdout and Jacqueline Hayempour, Iranian Jews who left Iran to go to the U.S. with their baby daughter in 1982 via Pakistan to Israel. Ahdout resides in Brentwood with his parents and siblings, Melody and...
as Esmail Behrani - Massoud's son. Like his mother, he is gentle and kind to Kathy. - Kim DickensKim DickensKimberly Jan "Kim" Dickens is an American actress and model.-Early life:Dickens was born in Huntsville, Alabama, graduated from that city's Lee High School, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in communication...
as Carol Burdon - Lester's wife, whom Lester abandons for Kathy. - Carlos GómezCarlos Gómez (actor)Carlos Gomez is an American actor.-Biography:Carlos was born in New York, the son of Cora Gomez. He is a versatile character actor who has starred in both film and the small screen since the late 1980s. His first part in a film came in the form of a dancer looking to make it big in "Dance to Win "...
as Lieutenant Alvarez - Lester's superior. He reprimands Lester for his behaviour and later sends him to prison when he crosses the line. - Spencer GarrettSpencer GarrettSpencer Garrett is an American actor who has appeared in television programs, television films, films, and a few blockbuster productions like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, and Air Force One....
as Auctioneer - Ray AbruzzoRay AbruzzoRay Abruzzo is an Italian-American actor, noted for his appearances on television.He made regular appearances in the following series: Dynasty , The Practice and The Sopranos .Other TV credits include: Falcon Crest, Murder She Wrote, L.A...
as Frank Nicolo - Kathy's older brother. He is not seen in the film but only heard on the telephone. - Andranik Madadian as the Wedding singer - The singer at Soraya's wedding.
Production
Shohreh AghdashlooShohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo is an Iranian American actress.After establishing a theatre and film career in Iran, Aghdashloo moved to England during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and subsequently became a citizen of the United States...
was a respected actress in Iran before emigrating to the United States. When the film roles offers were limited to terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and other assorted villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s, she turned to a career in the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. This film marked her return to the screen after nearly two decades.
Jonathan Ahdout
Jonathan Ahdout
Jonathan Ahdout is an American actor.Ahdout was born in Santa Monica, California to Yahya Ahdout and Jacqueline Hayempour, Iranian Jews who left Iran to go to the U.S. with their baby daughter in 1982 via Pakistan to Israel. Ahdout resides in Brentwood with his parents and siblings, Melody and...
, whose previous acting experience was limited to school plays, was cast as Esmail Behrani two days prior to the start of filming. His original audition had not impressed Vadim Perelman, but when he began to have doubts about the actor he ultimately had hired, he reviewed the audition tapes and saw something in Ahdout's performance he felt he previously had overlooked. He called him back and had him meet and perform with Aghdashloo. The chemistry between them convinced Perelman the boy was right for the part.
Establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
s were filmed in San Francisco, Carpinteria, Pacifica
Pacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...
, San Mateo County, and Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
, but the house of the title actually is located in Malibu.
An original soundtrack album
House of Sand and Fog (soundtrack)
- External links :****...
, featuring James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
's film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and songs by Mohammad Heydari
Mohammad Heydari
-Career:He received santur lessons first from Hossein Saba and, after his death, from Abolhassan Saba. He also worked with Abdollah Davami and Haj Agha Mohammad Irani-Mojarrad....
and Elton Ahi
Elton Ahi
Elton Ahi is a Persian music producer, born on August 6, 1964, in Iran. He has been credited with music production/editing/sound engineering for over 100 Hollywood major motion pictures including: xXx, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 27 Dresses, and The Last of the Mohicans, which won an...
and lyrics by Leila Kasra
Leila Kasra
Leila Kasra also known as Hadieh or Hedieh , was a legendary Persian poet, writer and lyricist who wrote many hits for many famous Persian artists like Ebi, Dariush, Sattar, Vigen, Moein, Mahasti, Andy, Homeyra, Hassan Shamaizadeh, Siavash Shams, Shohreh, Shahram Solati, Nooshafarin, Habib,...
, was released by Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
.
In the scene where Massoud speaks with Lieutenant Alvarez about Lester's threat, author Andre Dubus III has a non-speaking cameo as the Lieutenant's aid.
Critical response
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Based on 167 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 75% of critics gave House of Sand and Fog a positive review (126 "Fresh"; 41 "Rotten"), with an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
rating of 7.1/10.
In his review in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
called the film "an impressively self-assured directing debut" and added, "[it] is the nearly flawless execution of a deeply flawed premise. Mr. Perelman inadvertently exposes the inconsistencies in Mr. Dubus's novel even as he comes very close to overcoming them . . . the conflict between Kathy and Behrani arises from a sin so trivial as to be almost comical . . . and every stage of its escalation seems determined less by the psychology of the characters than by the forced, schematic logic of the story. You feel the heavy, implacable force of the narrative without quite believing it."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
said, "Here is a film that seizes us with its first scene and never lets go, and we feel sympathy all the way through for everyone in it . . . it stands with integrity and breaks our hearts." Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
rated the film B- with the comments, "[it] has its pretensions, but mostly it's a vigorous and bracingly acted melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
spun off from a situation that's pure human-thriller catnip . . . though I do wish that the movie didn't spiral into the most shocking of tragedies."
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
rated it three out of a possible four stars and added, "Before it runs off course into excess, this brilliantly acted film version of the 1999 novel by Andre Dubus III moves with a stabbing urgency ... Vadim Perelman ... makes a smashing debut in features ... Prepare for an emotional wipeout." In The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, David Denby
David Denby (film critic)
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...
stated, "Ben Kingsley ... [is] the only entertainment in this noble pool of despair ... Vadim Perelman ... produces scenes of great intensity, but he doesn't capture the colloquial ease and humor of American life."
On Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, Andrew O'Hehir said it "features an astonishing pair of lead performances and one of this year's most impressive directing debuts." Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
said, "There's nothing wrong in funnelling operatic tragedy through seemingly mundane domestic battles, but the way events escalate here feels deeply fraudulent ... heavy-handed allegory and symbolism wait at every turn ... though relentlessly downbeat, this is so overwrought, underdeveloped and ham-fisted that it's more unintentionally comic than genuinely tragic."
Box office
The film was released in the United States on December 19, 2003 and opened at #43, grossing $45,572 its the opening weekend. It eventually grossed $13,040,288 in North America and $3,902,507 in other territories for a worldwide total of $16,942,795. Its budget was $16.5 million.Accolades
- Academy Award for Best ActorAcademy Award for Best ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Ben Kingsley, nominee) - Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Shohreh Aghdashloo, nominee) - Academy Award for Best Original ScoreAcademy Award for Original Music ScoreThe Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
(nominee) - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaGolden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
(Kingsley, nominee) - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Kingsley, nominee)
- New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting ActressNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting ActressThe New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking....
(Shohreh Aghdashloo, winner) - National Board of Review AwardNational Board of Review of Motion PicturesThe National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr.'s revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. The mayor believed that the new medium...
for Best Directorial Debut (winner) - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressLos Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActressThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.This award has been awarded since 1977.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
(Aghdashloo, winner) - Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female (Aghdashloo, winner)
- Independent Spirit Award for Best ActorIndependent Spirit Award for Best ActorThe Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Male Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-External links:*...
(Kingsley, nominee) - Independent Spirit Award for Best First Film (nominee)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorThe Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.-List of winners and nominees:*1995: Kevin Bacon - Murder in the First as Henri Young...
(Kingsley, nominee) - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (Jennifer Connelly, nominee)
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorThe Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is an award given by the Phoenix Film Critics Society to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-2000s:-2010s:...
(Kingsley, winner) - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayPhoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayThe Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Adapted Screenplay is an annual award given by the Phoenix Film Critics Society.-2000s:-2010s:...
(nominee) - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Breakout Director of the Year (nominee)
- Satellite Award for Best EditingSatellite Award for Best EditingThe Satellite Award for Best Editing is one of the annual Satellite Awards given by the International Press Academy.- Winners and nominees :The following listing is based on the web postings of the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :...
(Lisa Zeno Churgin, nominee)
See also
- 2003 in film2003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
- Cinema of the United StatesCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
- List of American films of 2003