House of Sand and Fog

Synopsis: An emotionally broken woman, Kathy, suddenly finds herself homeless after her house is wrongly repossessed and auctioned. Seeking respite from his marriage, Lester, a sympathetic sheriff's deputy comes to the aid of Kathy and becomes intimately involved in her situation. Soon, Behrani, a proud emigrant Iranian and his family move into the house only to find their new lives burdened by harassment from Lester and Kathy as they attempt to reclaim her former home. The once prosperous colonel denies Kathy's pleas for he knows his recent purchase promises a profitable return and a better future for his adolescent son and his wife. But latent consequences lie beneath Behrani's well intentioned plan as Kathy's emotions spiral out of control and her actions spark a tragic chain of events that will leave no resident unscathed in the House of Sand and Fog.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Director(s): Vadim Perelman
Production: DreamWorks SKG
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 39 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.6
Metacritic:
71
Rotten Tomatoes:
74%
R
Year:
2003
126 min
$12,924,917
Website
599 Views


Are you Kathy Nicolo?

Yeah.

ls this your house?

Nadi, of course

agreed that it was

a wonderful idea

to cut down the trees at our home

on the Caspian

to have the sea spread before us,

to reach infinity with our eyes,

to see forever.

But then,

our life went the way

of the trees,

when the Ayatollahs ripped the soul

out of our beautiful country.

Well, enough.

Today is not a day for the old.

lt is a day for the young.

To the future.

To our Soraya. May she be

a happy wife as she is a bride.

And perhaps

she will not forget her poor mother

and father so soon

and return to us and give us

many little grandbabies.

A father can dream.

He's so tan.

-Retirement's good to the coronel.

-He's not retired.

-He works for Boeing.

-He doesn't work for Boeing.

My son works for Boeing.

Who knows what he does now.

l love you.

-Hello?

-Kathy?

-What time is it?

-lt's nine o'clock.

Mom, that's 6 A.M. here.

l don't think 6 A.M.

will kill you.

Your father got up at 4:30 every day

of his life. God bless his soul.

-How's it going? How's the program?

-Fine.

l'm fine.

One day at a time, right?

l just hope it's working.

How is everyone there?

Frankie's good. Salesman of the

Month again. You know your brother.

His Lisa's in her seventh month.

How's your better half?.

Fine.

He's right here.

He's sleeping.

Sleeping?

Mom, l'm really tired.

l'm gonna go, okay?

l forgot, Aunt Frances won a trip

to Reno. We'll come out on the 18th.

l thought we'd stop by

to see you.

-The 18th?

-Yeah. Two weeks.

Yeah, okay.

Nick will be away on business,

though.

-Again?

-Yeah.

l'm gonna go, okay?

You're still not smoking,

right?.

-Bye.

-You know it's...

Just a second!

You Kathy Lazaro?

Yeah. Why?

Kathy Lazaro, due to the nonpayment

of business taxes

associated with this property,

the county has petitioned the court

on its behalf to reclaim the costs.

This should come as no surprise

to you. l'm sure you've had

ample warning.

We've sent many notices.

Now the house is up for auction

starting tomorrow morning.

Auction?

What are you talking about?

Are you out of your mind?

There's no smoking in my house.

Hey, Chuck.

l see your number

right here, man.

Are we going to meet down there?

lt's supposed to be

a hot one today.

l'd dress lightly

if l were you.

That's okay,

because l'm not leaving.

l'm afraid you have no choice,

Mrs. Lazaro.

All of your things will be

auctioned off with the property.

Do you want that?

Look, you can't evict me.

l never owed a f***ing business tax.

lt doesn't make any sense.

Okay. Well,

this is where l get off.

Deputy Sheriff Burdon will assist

you with vacating the property.

Do you have a lawyer?

l can't afford a lawyer.

l'm a house cleaner.

This is the number for the Legal

Assistance Office. They might help.

Nothing's written in blood.

Youjust have to clear out today.

You may be moving back in next week.

ln the meantime,

maybe you can call

some friends or family,

stay with them.

There's no one to call.

l tell you what.

l know some movers

that owe me a favor.

Brian!

Go down to Safeway

and get some boxes.

Let's help this lady pack up.

Lester.

May l help you?

My car is parked here.

You asked yesterday also.

-What happened to you?

-l fell.

-Again?

-Yeah.

Wash up. Do not get blood

on the floor.

The house was repossessed

for tax payment delinquency.

lt's got three bedrooms,

one bath...

A widow's walk

would increase the value.

What is this ''widow's walk''?

lt's a deck on top of the house,

so you can see the ocean.

We still got some time here.

Feel free to take a look around.

Nadereh,

today God has kissed our eyes.

Do you remember our bungalow

on the Caspian?

How l ordered the trees cut down

on the west side,

so that we may view the sea?

Please, be quiet.

You remember how the General brought

his family there for the New Year?

How beautiful it was?

What is the matter for you today,

Behrani?

Nadi...

l today have bought for us

another bungalow.

l have purchased this home for a

price of which no one would believe.

lt is worth two,

maybe three times that.

We will live in this home

for a short while,

and then sell it

and find one even better.

No, no!

Perhaps you did not come here

to live like a gypsy,

but l did not come here

to work like an Arab!

To be treated like an Arab.

For four years, we have lived a life

which we could not afford

and spent almost everything

to marry Soraya with a good family.

This apartment alone has cost us

over $140,000 in rent.

And what of Esmail's

university education?

Soon we will have nothing.

Then you will see what it is like

to walk in the shoes of the gypsies.

So...

beginning tomorrow,

you will begin packing.

There's no more to discuss, Mrs.

Behrani. Do not open your lips.

$500?

-They evicted you for that?

-You got it.

Are you staying with friends?

Yeah, l'm with a friend.

How much is this

going to cost me?

lt's on a sliding scale.

How come you didn't do something

about this earlier?

l did. l went to the courthouse

months ago and

l signed a statement saying that l

never owed a business tax because

l never owned a business.

l even had it certified.

And what about

the follow-up mail?

l didn't open them.

lt's very important to me that

l get my house back by the 18th.

l'm expecting company.

When did you sign that letter?

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Vadim Perelman

Vadim Perelman (Russian: Вадим Перельман; born 8 September 1963) is a Ukrainian-born Canadian-American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with House of Sand and Fog, following a successful career as a commercial director. The film, nominated for three Academy Awards, also marks his first screenplay credit. Perelman was drawn to the story, having been shaped by his own immigrant experience. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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