![]() ![]() ![]() It should come as little surprise that the author of the novel, Andre Dubus III, actually used Kingsley as a model when writing the character. Kingsley is a likely awards lock for his portrayal of Colonel Behran – he buries himself in the role. It's impossible to talk about any aspect of this movie without immediately discussing its exceptional cast and their performances. Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley in House of Sand and Fog Perelman understood this and puts the story forth in a way that perfectly illustrates that message. ![]() It is about so much more than the mere struggle for a house. This is a story without winners and losers. We are given a window into the lives and motivations of both characters. There are so many elements and factors at play, all balanced with the utmost attention to detail. Both characters are very rich and layered. ![]() The real strength and power of this story, however, is its ability to portray both Behrani's and Nicolo's sides to the story in an unbiased fashion. As a former immigrant himself, it would have been easy to sway the audience's sympathy towards that of Behrani. Not only is Perelman's passion for the project clear on screen, but his dedication to the themes and meanings of the story are evident as well. There have been a surprising number of talented first time directors this year, but Perelman may well be the most interesting of the pack. The House of Sand and Fog is fully and completely realized in its vision and scope by the astute direction of Vadim Perelman. The two now enter into a battle for the house in which there really can be no winners. He sees this house as the only way to escape their poverty. Behrani does not understand why his family cannot see his way of thinking. Along with their son, Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout), she feels sympathy for Kathy. Meanwhile, Behrani's wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo), cannot accept her husband's plan to keep the house. In his desire to help Kathy with her struggle for the house, Burdon crosses the line, threatening the Behrani's and abusing his own badge. Burdon is stuck in an unhappy marriage and his relationship with Kathy soon becomes sexual. One of the officers who actually evicted Nicolo, Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon, has offered his friendship to Kathy, should she need some extra help. Kathy tries to go and reason with him herself, but he is unflinching. The government has offered to refund Behrani's money, but he refuses. By the time Nicolo is able to prove that a mistake has been made in her eviction, the Behrani family has already moved into the house. He can buy the house for a third of the value, move his family in, fix it up and ultimately sell it for a nice profit. Behrani sees this house as the answer to his problems. He currently struggles to keep his family's lifestyle up to the standards to which they have become accustomed, working multiple jobs at a convenience store and on a construction crew, which he deems far beneath himself. As she struggles to correct this error, the house is bought by Massoud Amir Behrani, a former Colonel in the Iranian Air Force, Behrani has found his own version of the American dream to be sorely lacking. Through a bureaucratic error on her taxes, Kathy's house is taken away and put up for government auction. Kathy Nicolo is a recovering addict who is clinging to her recent sobriety. Perelman's passion wound up going a long way, as he soon landed Director of Photography Roger Deakins and the two ideal actors to play the lead characters: Jennifer Connelly as Kathy Nicolo and Sir Ben Kingsley as Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani. He wrote the screenplay adaptation of the novel and took his incredible enthusiasm to his top choices of cast and crew for the film. The director found Dubus' narrative to have incredible parallels to events in his own life, coming to America as a Russian immigrant in his teens. ![]()
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