House of Sand and Fog is a 2003 American drama film directed by Vadim Perelman. The screenplay by Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto is based on the novel of the same name by Andre Dubus III.

The story consists of a series of events leading to dire consequences as two people from different cultures struggle to hang on to their individual concepts of the American Dream.

An emotionally broken woman, Kathy (Connelly), suddenly finds herself homeless after her house is wrongly repossessed and auctioned. Seeking respite from his marriage, Lester (Eldard), a lustful but sympathetic sheriff's deputy comes to the aid of Kathy and becomes intimately involved in her situation. Soon, Behrani (Kingsley), 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 extravagant 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. Written by Tiler Faisal

Massoud Amir Behrani, an Iranian immigrant, has spent most of his savings trying to enhance his daughter's chances of a good marriage. Once she is married, he spends the remaining funds on a house at an auction, unwittingly putting himself and his family in the middle of a legal tussle with the house's former owner. What begins as a legal struggle turns into a personal confrontation, with tragic results. Written by lcheala@imdb.com

House of Sand and Fog is the story of an Iranian political refugee family who are in struggle for a better life in the United States. Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley), who was a colonel in Shah's regime, spends most of his savings on a fancy wedding ceremony for his daughter. Once she is married, he purchases a house in auction in the hope of making a profit by selling it for a higher price. Behrani's goal is to spend the money he earns from selling the house to achieve his dream of building a place like the villa they used to have in north of Iran, and save the rest of the money for his son's (Jonathan Ahdout) education. However, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), who was the former owner of the house and lost it mistakenly charged for unpaid taxes, steps in and makes the life difficult for them. She meets a policeman (Ron Eldard) and starts a relationship with him. To help Kathy get the house back, the police officer threatens the Behrani family with deporting them from the country if they do not leave the house. The struggles for the house lead to a tragic end. Written by Saman_Yaghmai

Kathy is an emotionally unstable and neglectful woman evicted from the house she inherited from her father when she is mistakenly charged for unpaid taxes. After the immediate auction, the house is sold in a very low price to the Iranian Colonel Behrani, a refugee who sees the chance to give some stability to his family and make a profit in the resell of the property to raise money to send his beloved son to the university. Kathy has a relationship with the abusive officer Lester, who tries to force the family leave the place, ending his attempt in a tragic way. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil