MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for House of Sand and Fog

House of Sand and Fog

2003 · 126 min

A slow, suffocating tragedy where good intentions and cultural collision spiral into devastating consequences, leaving you emotionally drained and haunted.

Directed by
Vadim Perelman
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard
Tagline
Some dreams can't be shared.
Overview
Behrani, an Iranian immigrant buys a California bungalow, thinking he can fix it up, sell it again, and make enough money to send his son to college. However, the house is the legal property of former drug addict Kathy. After losing the house in an unfair legal dispute with the county, she is left with nowhere to go. Wanting her house back, she hires a lawyer and befriends a police officer. Neither Kathy nor Behrani have broken the law, so they find themselves involved in a difficult moral dilemma.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Icon Film Amazon Channel
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Vadim Perelman
Genres
Drama
Starring
Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • isolation
  • family
  • class
  • trauma
Places
  • suburbs
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour0
Realism9
Romance2
Tension8
Darkness9
Complexity7
Emotional weight10

More like this

Titles like House of Sand and Fog

Movie

Manchester by the Sea

2016

A quietly devastating, deeply human portrait of grief and guilt, leavened by moments of everyday humor and tenderness.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
138 min
Details
Manchester by the SeaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Separation

2011

A quietly gripping, morally complex drama that keeps you tense and emotionally invested as it unfolds with painful realism.

Melancholic, tense · about family and class

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • family
  • class
Pacing
measured
Attention
demanding
Runtime
123 min
Details
A SeparationHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Babel

2006

A sprawling, emotionally raw tapestry of interconnected lives, weaving tension and heartbreak across cultures with a haunting score.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
143 min
Details
BabelHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Nobody Knows

2004

A quietly devastating immersion into childhood neglect, where everyday details accumulate into heartbreak.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
141 min
Details
Nobody KnowsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Prisoners

2013

A relentless, grim descent into desperation and moral compromise that keeps you tightly wound and uneasy throughout.

Same cinematographer: Roger Deakins · Bleak, tense, slow-burn · about grief

Also
Same cinematographer: Roger Deakins
Via
  • bleak
  • tense
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
153 min
Details
PrisonersHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Revolutionary Road

2008

A suffocating, slow-burn portrait of a marriage collapsing under suburban conformity, leaving you drained and haunted.

Same cinematographer: Roger Deakins · Bleak, melancholic · about isolation and family

Also
Same cinematographer: Roger Deakins
Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details
Revolutionary RoadHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Two Days, One Night

2014

A quietly gruelling, humane ordeal that follows a fragile woman door to door, wringing tension from ordinary conversations and leaving you wrung out but oddly hopeful.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about isolation and class

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • isolation
  • class
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
Two Days, One NightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Requiem for a Dream

2000

A relentless, harrowing descent into addiction and delusion, visually and sonically assaultive, leaving you drained and haunted.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
102 min
Details
Requiem for a DreamHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Magnolia

1999

A sprawling, emotionally intense mosaic that sweeps you through interconnected lives with raw performances and surreal moments, demanding full attention.

Melancholic, tense, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
189 min
Details
MagnoliaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Gran Torino

2008

A slow-burning, emotionally charged drama that mixes grit with unexpected warmth, anchored by a gruff, compelling performance.

Melancholic, tense · about grief and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
116 min
Details
Gran TorinoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Precious

2009

A raw, emotionally devastating immersion into trauma and resilience, offering glimmers of hope amid relentless hardship.

Bleak, melancholic, slow-burn · about family and trauma

Via
  • bleak
  • melancholic
  • family
  • trauma
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
110 min
Details
PreciousHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Paris, Texas

1984

A quiet, wandering journey through loss and half-remembered love that slowly opens into aching tenderness and regret.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
145 min
Details
Paris, TexasHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Icon Film Amazon Channel
Free
  • Tubi TV
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Vadim Perelman
Written by
Shawn Lawrence Otto, Vadim Perelman
Starring
Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jonathan Ahdout, Navi Rawat
Music
James Horner
Cinematography
Roger Deakins
Runtime
126 min
Country
United States of America, United Kingdom
Languages
English, Italian, Persian

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata