2003, R, 126 minutes

The battle over ownership of a house doesn't necessarily sound like the basis of a powerful and riveting film, but House of Sand and Fog proves to be just that. Based on the best-selling novel by Andre Dubus III, House is one of those great movies that arrives with little advance hype, making the discovery of it that much more satisfying. For those who don't mind some heavy drama in their holiday viewing, House of Sand and Fog is a must-see.

Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) is a recovering substance abuser whose husband has recently left her. She lives alone in her childhood home, a pretty little house just off the coast of San Francisco that she inherited from her late father. When county officials arrive with eviction papers due to unpaid business taxes, Kathy says she's not leaving. While the taxes were falsely imposed (she never had her own business), she had been ignoring notices for months. Arriving with the officials is Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard), who shows immediate interest in helping Kathy, and assures her that the eviction will only be temporary.

Unfortunately, the county has already listed Kathy's house in the paper as being a government-seized property that's up for auction. The listing immediately catches the eye of Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), a former Iranian Air Force Colonel who fled his native country with his family to pursue the American dream. Behrani works various odd jobs at low wages, and he can no longer provide his family with the extravagances they were accustomed to in their native country. He buys Kathy's house at a fraction of its worth, and sees this move as his family's last shot at a happy life in America.

Meanwhile, Kathy's lawyer (Frances Fisher) finds that despite the county's error, Behrani is within his legal rights not only to stay in the house, but to demand market value for it if he were to sell. Needless to say, Kathy doesn't take the news well. She is drawn back to the house like a moth to a flame, and she soon confronts Behrani on what is now his property. Emotions are already running high when Sheriff Burdon gets involved. He has just started seeing Kathy romantically, and when you factor in that he's a hothead himself, you have a recipe for disaster.

From there, House of Sand and Fog goes in some surprising directions, so the less said about the plot the better. On the surface, the story seems to be little more than a melodrama, with its many dramatic twists and turns. The film addresses deeper issues, though, such as the struggle of immigrants who face hostility in a foreign land. We see that Behrani is not a villain; he is a decent man who just wants the best for his kind wife Nadi (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and son Esmail (Jonathan Ahdout). He just refuses to back down to the equally-stubborn Kathy, a fragile woman who simply cannot handle the loss of her home.

House of Sand and Fog is a rare film that succeeds on every level. Following excellent work in Requiem for a Dream and her Oscar win for A Beautiful Mind, Connelly proves again to be one of the best actresses of her generation with the emotionally complex role of Kathy. Kingsley has made a career of giving great performances (Schindler's List, Sexy Beast, and, of course, Gandhi), and his work here is as good as anything he's ever done. Also, in the key role of Sheriff Burdon, Eldard is able to show layers of the character that grow increasingly disturbing as the story progresses.

Amazingly, House of Sand and Fog is director/co-writer Vadim Perelman's first film. Perelman is truly a born filmmaker, and he also had the good sense to use the great cinematographer Roger Deakins (Fargo). They treat the fog like a character in the film, as it hovers over the house and creates a true sense of dread. This is not a film for everyone (if you have a feeling from the beginning that this situation will not end well, you're right), but it's easily one of the year's best films.