House of Sand and Fog

I was struck by a comment made by the director, Vadim Perelman, about this film and watching tragic film in general: "if you can grieve vicariously, it helps you with your own grief." While that might not be news to those who majored in psychology in school, it was eye-opening to me. It goes a long way to explaining why we "enjoy" watching tragic film -- perhaps "recognize" and "empathize" are better descriptive words. And this film is a perfect example, reminiscent of Shakespearan tragedy in the destruction of all of its characters, and laden with emotion and passion. The story is anchored by Jennifer Connelly and Sir Ben Kingsley, both of whom should have been nominated for their portrayals (Kingsley was, as was Shohreh Aghdashloo, also well-deserved ). Connelly plays a depressed woman who hasn't read her mail in so long that her eviction from her house comes as a complete surprise. Kingsley, playing an Iranian immigrant, snaps up the house as an investment in his plan to live by the sea again. Once again, the film is reminiscent of Shakespeare in that everyone makes multiple stupid mistakes that lead them towards the tragic ending. And while you can easily recognize the foreshadowing, and have more than an inkling how it will end, that doesn't make it any less powerful when it happens. I'm very glad I didn't see this film in the theater, as I wouldn't have wanted to be weeping around a bunch of strangers. Perelman's writing and direction effortlessly take us into more and more desperate moments until that final scene in the house, of which I'll say nothing in order not to ruin it for others. While others may not have as strong a reaction as I did, and may be put off by the intense tragic nature of the film, I still strongly recommend it. If for no other reason than for Perelman's comment above.

year: 2003
length: 126 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315983/combined