Some dreams can't be shared

"I grew up in this house. It's the house that my father left to me..."

Kathy Nicolo

House of Sand and Fog

Release Date: January 9, 2004

Academy Award winners Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List) star in the dramatic thriller House of Sand and Fog, based on the acclaimed bestseller by Andrew Dubus III.

A gripping exploration of the American Dream gone awry, House of Sand and Fog is the story of two people driven to desperate measures to claim ownership of a house. It is only a small bungalow in Northern California, but to Kathy Nicolo (Connelly), it is the last vestige of hope for reclaiming a life that was nearly lost to addiction. When a bureacratic error forces her eviction, Kathy is left homeless—helpless to stop the house from being sold at auction for a fraction of its worth.

The new owner, Massoud Amir Behrani (Kingsley) sees the house as the fulfillment of the American Dream he has been pursuing since he fled Iran with his family years earlier. A former Colonel in the Iranian Air Force, Behrani has been reduced to working menial jobs to maintain a pretense of affluence. Now he pours the last of his life savings into the purchase of the house that will, at last, bring back the prosperity his family once knew.

As Kathy and Behrani's fight for the house escalates, Kathy finds an unlikely ally in the officer sent to evict her, Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard, Deep Impact, Super 8), who becomes dangerously devoted to her cause. Caught in the maelstrom are Behrani's wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and son, Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout).

What beings as a conflict over a small, rundown bungalow spirals into a clash of cultures that propels everyone involved towards an inescapable, and ultimately heartbreaking climax. House of Sand and Fog exposes the unsettling truth that it is sometimes hope and not hatred that divides us.

House of Sand and Fog marks the feature film directorial debut of Vadim Perelman. Screenwriters Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto adapted the best-selling novel by Andre Dubus III, which was an Oprah Book Club selection. Michael London and Perelman produced the film, which is presented by DreamWorks Pictures, in association with Cobalt Media Group.

About the Film

About the Film

CAST
  • JENNIFER CONNELLY,
  • BEN KINGSLEY,
  • RON ELDARD,
  • FRANCES FISHER,
  • KIM DICKENS,
  • SHOHREH AGHDASHLOO,
  • JONATHAN AHDOUT
DIRECTOR
  • VADIM PERELMAN
SCREENWRITERS
  • VADIM PERELMAN,
  • SHAWN LAWRENCE OTTO
PRODUCERS
  • MICHAEL LONDON,
  • VADIM PERELMAN
CINEMATOGRAPHER
  • ROGER DEAKINS
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
  • MAIA JAVAN
COSTUME DESIGNER
  • HALA BAHMET
EDITOR
  • LISA ZENO CHURGIN
COMPOSER
  • JAMES HORNER

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