House of Sand and Fog is a must see

House of Sand and Fog is a powerful, forceful tragedy. Supported by an incredibly gifted cast and shot in a beautiful, quiet style, this movie clearly has an excellent shot at Oscar contention.

The story begins when Kathy Lazaro (Jennifer Connelly) finds her house is being repossessed and auctioned to pay Pacific County for back taxes. Lazaro has been depressed and drifting since her husband left her, and the loss of her house devastates her psychologically.

Meanwhile, Massoud Behrani (Ben Kingsley) is a former Iranian colonel, forced to leave his country after the Ayatollahs came to power. He and his family live in America, struggling to get by on his menial salary while keeping up appearances of their former wealth. When Behrani hears about the property auction, he buys Lazaro's house for a fraction of its worth, intending to turn the property around and sell it for four times his investment.

However, Lazaro is able to prove that she never actually owed the county any back taxes, and she quickly takes steps to sue for her house. But things get more complicated when she meets up with Lester Burton (Ron Eldard), a bigoted cop undergoing a lot of internal turmoil. When the legal system isn't working quickly enough, Burton and Lazaro take the law into their own hands to get back her treasured house.

House of Sand and Fog is something that has been remarkably scarce in Hollywood lately: a movie entirely about people. No special effects or massive battle scenes drive this film. The actors' stunningly real emotions and devastating losses keep the audience engaged the whole way through.

At its core, House of Sand and Fog is about three desperate, broken people who want to change their lives. Behrani wants to reclaim his wealth and provide for his family, Lazaro wants to escape her addictions and rise above depression, and Burton wants to escape his marriage yet somehow not betray his children. Right from the very beginning, even as hope rises that at least one of the characters might reach their hopes, it is obvious that there can be no happy ending. These characters are far too deeply scarred to ever be content again, and their explosive, final meeting is the only possible outcome. However, despite this obviously foreseeable outcome, the manner in which the tragedy unfolds is not easily predictable.

All of the actors in this movie do an incredible job. Kingsley and Connelly deserve special recognition for their roles, and will surely each be nominated for an Oscar again. The stunningly genuine emotion that pours from Connelly's conflicted and devastated face is heart-rending to watch. Kingsley's portrayal of the proud colonel, struggling to provide for his family in an America that is often hostile to immigrants, is stark and gritty. House of Sand and Fog is a worthwhile movie to see just for the experience of watching two actors give the performance of a lifetime.

The only major flaw with this film is that its ending may seem to stretch on for too long and venture too far into the melodramatic. There are still a good 20 minutes of movie time left after the major climax, leaving a long, slow resolution to the story. In the tradition of a true Shakespearean tragedy, none of the characters end up happy, and each character's demise is shown in sometimes excruciating detail. Sensitive viewers should be warned that there are some gut-wrenchingly graphic scenes at the end of this movie.

House of Sand and Fog is not light holiday fare, but it is certainly worth seeing. The stunning acting and beautiful visuals come together perfectly to create a modern American tragedy.

This movie is rated R for graphic violence and strong language, and is now playing everywhere.