Haus aus Sand und Nebel (2003)

Haus aus Sand und Nebel: Directed by Vadim Perelman. With Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher. An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her house’s new owners.

“u0026quot;House of Sand and Fogu0026quot; is by far the finest film Iu0026#39;ve seen this year, and probably the best Iu0026#39;ve seen since the dial turned from the 1990u0026#39;s into the new millennium.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVadim Perelman makes a movie so astoundingly beautiful that one has to think heu0026#39;s been doing this for years, but this is his first film. Set in a fog-drenched Southern California community, Perelman sets two immoveable forces apart from each other — Cathy, a recovering alcoholic burdened by the memory of her late father, still trying to prove that she is a responsible person in his eyes, and Behrani, a colonel driven out of Iran with his family and desperately trying to maintain a life of stability and promise. In these two roles, Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley give steely performances, each presenting troubled souls trapped within stubborn facades. Connelly once again gives a masterful performance, balancing a reckless sensuality with the desire to find acceptance and love within anything, even a house where the memories have become so painful that the mail becomes too much to take.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKingsley, of course, is perfect. The subtleties of his facial expressions when presented with moments of joy and frustration are masterfully restrained. This is his best performance of his illustrious career.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen Kingsley and Connelly finally clash, halfway through the movie, the movie, having until then been a paean to silence and unspoken loyalties, becomes a terrifying thriller, riveting everyone with whom I saw the picture. Perelman moves from a mood piece to a suspenseful drama effortlessly. A jaw-dropping conclusion completes a powerful, unbelievably sad piece of work.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter a couple years of not finding a movie that stirred me, this is it, what we all look for in movies — a harrowing story, beautifully filmed, cathartic and elegant. Joy is very difficult to spot in the film, but u0026quot;House of Sand and Fogu0026quot; provides the joy we get when being moved to powerful emotions by a wonderful symphony.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy best film of 2003 — unquestionably 10/10.”