HOUSE OF SAND A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Andrucha Waddington's HOUSE OF SAND (CASA DE AREIA) takes us on a journey to a land of which most of us are probably unaware. In the stunning opening sequence, we witness a lush landscape of rolling snow drifts. As the camera zooms in on the gorgeous terrain, we realize we must be observing the sand dunes of the African desert and not some snow covered land after all. But, in the title on the screen, we are told that the land is actually part of Brazil. Moving in closer still, we realize that the big puffy sand structures are punctuated with barren land that seems lifted from the red rock of Utah. Later in the picture, we will come to find that there are water oases nearby and even a roaring ocean.
Visually arresting and sounding magnificent, the HOUSE OF SAND has but one flaw -- a fatal one. It is dramatically inert. Fans of Gus Van Sant's GERRY may find this not to be a problem for them. But, for me, a full length motion picture needs at least a minimal story and some narrative drive. If a film only engages my eyes and ears, it just isn't enough for me. My mind and heart want something for sustenance as well.
The story, to the extent there is any in this sparsely dialoged tale, concerns a woman and her mother who are left abandoned in the desert in 1910. The movie follows their story, as well as the child the woman has later, for the next 59 years. They are so out of touch that when a pilot comes by after the end of World War I, he remarks that they probably weren't even aware that there had been a world war, and he is right.
A typical scene has the sand blowing with a gale force, as the characters stare motionlessly and silently into the distance. And, at other times, tremendous thunderstorms rip through the sky. If you can manage to stay awake -- a real problem in this soporific story -- you'll be entranced by the sounds and, to a slightly lesser extent, by the visuals.
I can't recommend HOUSE OF SAND, but, if you have a chance to watch any twenty minutes of it, you'll probably enjoy it. Just don't attempt a larger dose.
HOUSE OF SAND runs 1:43. The film is in Portuguese with English subtitles. It is rated R for "some graphic sexuality" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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