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House of Sand and Fog

Play trailer Poster for House of Sand and Fog R 2003 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 180 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Reformed drug addict Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) has her California coast house, which she inherited from her father, taken away by the county due to a misunderstanding about back taxes. The place is bought by Iranian immigrant Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), who intends to fix it up and sell it in order to provide a better life for his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and son (Jonathan Ahdout). However, Kathy, desperate to get the house back, begins harassing Behrani so he will return it.
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House of Sand and Fog

House of Sand and Fog

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Critics Consensus

Powerful and thought provoking film.

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Critics Reviews

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Antonia Quirke London Evening Standard Dec 20, 2017
While the book reads as tragedy, the film feels like melodrama, and really hasn't the guts for Connolly's natural spirit and warmth, or Kingsley's beautiful canniness. They both feel completely throttled, done in by the film's over-calculated heaviness. Go to Full Review Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online Sep 12, 2017
B+
... it recaptured my attention with the pitch-perfect performances of both Ben Kingsley and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 24, 2010
4/5
Serious and thoughtful; for mature teens+. Go to Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film Aug 9, 2024
4/5
[The film] is imbued with an almost poetic beauty, probably thanks to the work of Deakins (cinematography) and Horner (score)...[and another] great thing about [it] is the fact that the audience understands the positions of both Kathy and Behrani. Go to Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Feb 15, 2021
The intuition that violent, terrible acts flow inexorably in part from Americans' unawareness and incomprehension of the simplest facts of their own lives is undeniably true. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com May 9, 2009
C
A lack of empathetic characters cripples this poorly paced but well acted drama about an Iranian family who purchase a city-auctioned bungalow in Northern California after its former tenant has been unjustly evicted. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rob G @RT25140108 Aug 2, 2026 Theatrical, overacted, absurd. See more Meri S. @mschroeder Jun 25, 2026 Great acting esp by Ben Kingsley at the end with his son. Wow! A very different storyline, which is refreshing to watch. One that kept my attention. Watched in 2026, and although the movie was from 2003, not dated at all. Except for the kitchen in one scene. Holds up well. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Mar 2, 2026 It was really somber. I think the title is really cool. I kind of lost touch with it as it went on. I didn't really understand the connections it was trying to make. See more Garrett B @gmoney637 Feb 3, 2026 Connely and Kingsley deliver stellar performances in this tragic drama. See more Dallas H @RT53171010 Feb 19, 2025 I first watched this movie decades ago, shortly after it was released. Even then, as I do now, I still don't agree with casting an English actor to portray an Iranian character. It just doesn't make sense to me. Also, the story itself is okay. It seems to lean into the usual selfish American idealogue of the American Karen who thinks the universe revolves around her life. See more Amy A @RT30226790 Oct 19, 2024 Really great acting from Ben Kingsley. The misunderstandings about her house payments/reason it was taken away were not very clear & this affected the seriousness of the storyline. As it wasn't very clear why he should give the house back. I actually cried at part of the film and don't really know why - perhaps it was Kingsley's incredible acting. See more Read all reviews
House of Sand and Fog

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Cast & Crew

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Vadim Perelman

Director

Jennifer Connelly

Kathy Lazaro

Ben Kingsley

Massoud Amir Behrani

Ron Eldard

Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon

Frances Fisher

Connie Walsh

Kim Dickens

Carol Burdon

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House of Sand and Fog

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Movie Info

Synopsis Reformed drug addict Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) has her California coast house, which she inherited from her father, taken away by the county due to a misunderstanding about back taxes. The place is bought by Iranian immigrant Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), who intends to fix it up and sell it in order to provide a better life for his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and son (Jonathan Ahdout). However, Kathy, desperate to get the house back, begins harassing Behrani so he will return it.
Director
Vadim Perelman
Producer
Michael London, Vadim Perelman
Screenwriter
Vadim Perelman, Shawn Otto, Andre Dubus
Distributor
DreamWorks SKG, Miramax Films
Production Co
DreamWorks SKG, Bisgrove Entertainment, Cobalt Media Group
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Images|Scene of Sexuality|Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 26, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$13.0M
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Surround
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