It's awards season and of all the decent but slightly overrated award-hungry films released in recent months (i.e. Cold Mountain and 21 Grams), House of Sand and Fog emerges as the most disappointing. This isn't to say the movie
is bad. Far from it. There's a lot to like here, but overall, I found it quite slow and fairly heavy-handed.

In the drama, Jennifer Connelly plays a lonely, depressed woman whose
husband has recently left her. Things go from awful to worse when her house is seized and put up for public auction after she fails to pay taxes on it. While working with a lawyer to get the home back, it is , without warning, purchased by a man (Ben Kingsley) who is having struggles of his own. He and his family have only been in the states a short time after fleeing a politically turbulent Iraq. This starts a battle of sorts as Kingsley and Connelly spend a large portion of the film arguing over who actually owns
the home.

Kingsley soars as a flawed but loving family man who will do just about
anything to provide for the ones he loves. This is a passionate, heartfelt turn, and while there are certainly moments where Kingsley slightly overplays the role (particularly towards the end of the picture), I was captivated by his work here. Connelly provides an interesting contrast as a desperate, vulnerable woman who clings to her home because it's the only thing that reminds her of how happy she once was. And while this isn't the sort of infinitely lost soul she played in Requiem For A Dream, there are certainly similarities. Shohreh Aghdashloo is magnificent in an all too
small role as Kingsley's wife. The sense of fear she evokes at the thought of moving back to her homeland is powerfully real, and her sweet, motherly
sensibility adds weight to the film. Unfortunately, Ron Eldard is not
believable at all in the role of a police officer who becomes smitten with
Connelly. He is unable to generate any sense of drama, and the chemistry
between he and Connelly just isn't there.

House of Sand and Fog is bogged down by a flawed screenplay. It takes nearly
forty minutes for the movie to really take shape. Once it does, it has moments of undeniable power, and the human interaction between the cast is very strong (save for a horribly underdeveloped and all too unconvincing
relationship between Connelly and Eldard). But then things become too
melodramatic in the final act. In it's attempt to be a haunting, unforgettable movie experience, the film really takes things too far.

First time director Vadim Perelman shows potential, but for every moment of
restraint, is something that doesn't quite work. As I previously stated, there are moments in this picture that are incredibly heavy-handed, and the movie suffers as a result. It's hard to elaborate on this without giving important plot points away, so you can judge for yourself should you choose to see the movie. I'd also like to add that the final line of dialogue in House of Sand and Fog was all too obvious and didn't evoke the sense of power it aspired to.

Perelman is excellent with actors and shows enormous trust in them. I was
also impressed that it became increasingly hard for me to decide who had more of a right to the house, and that's a true testament to the director's
skill. Both lead characters are equally human, and it is this dynamic that
makes for the strongest part of the film.

House of Sand and Fog is well shot but unfortunately, it doesn't always
succeed in it's attempt at depicting the American dream gone unfortunately awry.
This is disappointing given that Kingsley, Connelly and Aghdashloo give it their all. Sadly, they come up a little short. In the end, House of Sand and Fog is never quite as powerful as it thinks it is.