House of Sand and Fog
2003
**½
Director: Vadim Perelman
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jonathan Ahdout
A pompous, self-important drama about the darker side of the American Dream. A recovering alcoholic hits rock bottom when she loses her house due to unpaid taxes. The same house in turn represents fresh hope to its new owners, an immigrant family from Iran. This initially subtle drama goes through increasingly preposterous twists which lead to a finale which leaves you completely indifferent, although it should be heartbreaking. The actors work hard, but in Kingsley's case in particular you feel like you're watching a performance.
