Sad, moving movie examines two lives

The story's not a light one, but it is an unforgettable one.
By MILAN PAURICH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
The house in "House of Sand and Fog" isn't much to look at. A fairly nondescript three bedroom/one bath suburban bungalow, its greatest selling point is a widow's walk with a view of the Pacific Ocean.
But for Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) and Behrani (Ben Kingsley), this home is literally to die for.
The bleak, despairing "Sand and Fog" marks an auspicious directing debut for Russian & eacute;migr & eacute; Vadim Perelman, whose only previous work has been in television commercials and music videos.
Whether audiences choose to patronize an exquisitely moving, superbly acted "downer" like this, particularly during the holidays, is another matter.
When Kathy gets evicted from her Northern California home over nonpayment of business taxes, it's clearly a mistake. She inherited the property from her late father, and it had never been used as a business.
The fact that the amount is a measly $500 only makes it more of a sad joke. Recovering addict Kathy cleans houses for a living (her husband walked out on her eight months ago), and is in such a perpetual fog of depression she doesn't even bother reading her mail. (Maybe if she had, she might have seen the numerous eviction notices.)
Kathy's legal aid attorney (Frances Fisher) means well, but isn't much help after Iranian immigrant Behrani snatches up the property for a fraction of its worth at a county auction.
Her only recourse is to take Behrani to court, but any form of litigation would take months of wading through bureaucratic red tape.
Pleading her case
Sleeping in fleabag motels when she can afford to (or in her car when she can't), Kathy shows up unannounced one day and tries reasoning with the proud, stubborn ex-colonel.
After that gesture proves futile, she even throws herself on the mercy of Behrani's sad, lonely wife, Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo, in a heartbreaking performance that won her the Best Supporting Actress prize last week from the New York Film Critics Circle).
"They're already more at home then I ever was," Kathy says with amazement after seeing how cozily Behrani, Nadi, and their devoted teenage son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout) have settled into her former abode.
The only positive thing in Kathy's life is Lester (Ron Eldard, superb in the film's trickiest role), one of the deputy sheriffs who evicted her from the house. As much of a lost soul as Kathy, Lester is stuck in a loveless marriage with two young children to support.
Soon, this good samaritan is sneaking off to Kathy's bed at night and, while impersonating a fellow officer, threatening Behrani with deportation unless he vacates the premises post-haste. Like a classic Greek tragedy, the drama quickly escalates to monstrous proportions.
What it becomes
Through a combination of misunderstandings, coincidences and disastrously crossed signals, this "house of sand and fog" turns into a full-fledged battle zone. Even if you've read Andre Dubus III's acclaimed best-selling novel, the ending will haunt you for days.
Surprisingly, for a first-time director -- particularly one with an advertising and MTV background -- Perelman has made a remarkably polished, unfussy film with no virtuoso camera stunts or editing tricks to get his points across.