HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (2003) dir. Vadim Perelman

House of Sand and Fog follows the lives of two different people, with one thing in common, one particular house. Jennifer Connelly is Kathy, a twenty-something lonely and depressed woman who has been wrongfully evicted from her late fathers house for not paying business tax.

Mr.Behrani is a former Kernal and has recently fled Iran for the US with his wife and teenage son, Esmail. Ben Kingsly gives an outstanding performance as an Iranian man and plays against Shohreh Aghdashloo, a widely respected Iranian actress who is perfect for the role of Mrs. Behrani.

So, how do these two different characters meet? Mr.Behrani buys Kathy's house for a very cheap price, as it is up for auction.

The film is sympathetic and clearly understands the complex notion of Iranian culture; Mr. Behrani works two jobs everyday to support his family, living at a luxourious hotel. It may seem bizarre to the audience at first glace when he arrives back from his construction job and uses the hotel bathroom to change into a suit before seeing his family. However, one begins to get accustomed with Iranian culture and Mr.Behrani's way of thinking, his morals and his culture.

A former Kernel and a history of wealthy living he is not prepared to give up his status and throw away his self-respect, even as a newly immigrant in the US. One must praise the character for this. The screen play coincides with the understanding and celebration of Iranian culture with lines from Mrs.Behrani such as "Eshmail, we have a guest this means you have to be very quiet, polite and kind".
Ron Eldard plays the role of Lecster the confused policeman fantastically. His character is somewhat racist, but he is a complex character and as with all the characters in this film, you find empathy with him even though he is the instigator of chaos.

The film is really about segregation of cultures, the emphasis is lost by the melodramatic ending. After Eshmail is shot dead by a policeman, Mr. Behrani, fed up with life, kills his wife by poisoning her and then suffocates himself. The Iranian culture is thereby not celebrated by the end of the film as it is extremely unrealistic and out of character for the Behrani's to do such a thing.

Having said this, I urge you to see this film as the cinematography is outstanding as is the acting. The film raises up the issues of pain, life experience, culture and how wonderfully unique they are. Before you watch the film, it would be good to read up on the history of Iran.

Here are a few sites you may be interested in:

Iranian Revolution Information click here

There is an amazing book I would also recommend you read. As freedom of speech is pretty much non existent in Iran, this book has gathered all the anonymous blogs written by Iranians in Iran. Fantastic and Interesting:

We Are Iran Nasrin Alavi