# House of Sand and Fog - whoah! (Risk of spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2004, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-sand-and-fog-whoah-risk-of-spoilers/222462 "2004-01-03T11:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-sand-and-fog-whoah-risk-of-spoilers/222462/1 "2004-01-03T11:49:44Z")
Probably one of the best movies I’ve seen in the last 5 years. Emotionally draining, incredibly disturbing and at the same time absolutely amazing. Like watching one of the old classic Greek tragedies, but with the full impact of modern moviemaking. Euripides would have felt right at home. For those who haven’t seen it, it begins with a woman losing her house due to a bureaucratic snafu and her own negligence. An Iranian immigrant buys it for a song - this seems to be the investment that will save his family from poverty and himself from menial, back-breaking work. Of course, the original owner wants it back. And from there on, the tragedy unfolds step by step, slowly but inevitably. I won’t spoil it further (plenty of sites out there do just that) except for saying that it ends badly. Very. Ben Kingsley should bloody well get an Oscar nomination for his depiction of the proud Colonel, doing what he feels he has to do every step of the way and in the end reaping a most bitter harvest. Shohreh Aghdashloo (the Iranian wife) was perhaps even better. Highly recommended - but it _is_ a most bleak and disturbing movie. Have someone on hand to talk to afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-sand-and-fog-whoah-risk-of-spoilers/222462/2 "2004-01-03T15:14:42Z")
I was wondering when this film would get some treatment here. My father was telling me about it for a while, and then he finally went to see it and generally enjoyed it (although some of the sophistication may well have been lost on him). Now I’ll have to see it eventually. I’ve also heard some really good things about _21 Grams_. Has anyone seen both to compare and contrast? If I could only see one, which would it be? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-sand-and-fog-whoah-risk-of-spoilers/222462/3 "2004-01-03T19:17:17Z")
I found the direction a bit precious and heavy handed: how many times to we need to see the two lead characters doing virtually the same thing before we can shout _“OK! OK! I get it! They have a lot more in common than they themselves understand!”_ How many times do we have to see the fog rolling in or shrouding the house before we get the insubstantiality of material possessions? Plus of course the climax was a blatant ripoff of _Godfather III_.\* The performances were amazing, all around, and the film is well worthwhile for that. But I’ll wait to see if the director decides he’s more of an actor’s director than a mise-en-scene guy, and concentrates on the actors in his next movie. Reminded me of many first-time directors’ work: Lots of showy transitions and cuts; very selfconscious camera; lots of shots whose whole purpose is to say, “Looka me, Ma! I’m a director!” (cf. _Throw Mama from the Train, Dances with oaughrk_ [sorry, can’t even say the title without blowing my breakfast], and others I can’t think of right now.) \*just kidding ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-sand-and-fog-whoah-risk-of-spoilers/222462/4 "2004-01-03T22:58:18Z")
**House of Sand and Fog** is one of my all time favorite books, and I’ mreally nervous about the movie. i want to see it…and yet…I really don’t.