When people think of December, what comes to mind? Most think of holiday cheer, of the Christmas lights and good food, of
seeing old friends and family, and so on and so forth. Not for the movie critic. This is the Month of the Really Good Film, and in turn that means the Month of Depressing Films. After all, most of the really powerful movies are sad.
House of Sand and Fog fits in that category quite well.
The movie, based on the novel by Andre Dubus, tells the tale of Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) and Massoud Behrani (Ben Kingsley), two people from very different backgrounds that fight over the same suburban house. After being evicted for little reason, Massoud and his family move in for about a fourth of the actual market price, with the intention of reselling the home at full value so that they can finally have a normal life in America. Though he is legally entitled to the property, Kathy feels he is not doing the moral thing, as the house was given to her by her father and was taken away from her by mistake. Soon, the situation escalates to something uncontrollable, and the end result may be more than each party is willing to bear.
Well directed and acted, House of Sand and Fog is inherently good. Two of the best performances of the year come from this movie, as Connelly and Kingsley are both exceptional, Oscar-worthy. Connelly goes far beyond the character needed for A Beautiful Mind, in which she was given an Oscar, though the character she plays is not especially likeable. Kingsley commands every scene he is in, though it is little surprise; he seems to get better with age. Kingsley''s character is a feast for men; this man has so many angles and sides to him that it is impossible to predict what his reaction will be. Ron Eldard also turns in one of his better performances, though the bigger names around him might blot him out.