House of Sand and Fog

It's unlikely that you'll see a better acted film than 'House of Sand and Fog' this year. Based on the book by Andre Dumas III (a talented writer, whose father was responsible for the story behind Todd Field's extraordinary 'In the Bedroom'), 'House of Sand and Fog' finds Shakespearean tragedy in the mundanity of everyday lives. It's here that abandoned wife and recovering addict Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) lives in a bleary-eyed mess. She's inherited her father's bungalow in the suburbs of San Francisco but is too exhausted to even bother opening her mail most days. This leads to her losing her house due to a tax law technicality. Enter Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a former colonel in the Iranian air force. A proud man, he's forced to take menial jobs in order to support his wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and their teenage son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout), and sees the house as a means of improving his family's life. With her home gone, Kathy attracts the attentions of an emotionally volatile sheriff's deputy (Ron Eldard) who vows to help her set things right again.

An assured, emotionally dextrous debut from Vadim Perelman, 'House of Sand and Fog' moves relentlessly towards its tragically inevitable conclusion. While it initially requires some suspension of belief, the intensity of the central performances makes that easy enough to adhere to. Both Kingsley and Connelly prowl around each other, weighing in some exquisitely judged performances, with the supporting players, especially the incredible Shohreh Aghdashloo, elegantly poised. Go see.