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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

House of Sand, The

EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Classics

House of Sand, The reviews
70
8.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 23 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama  |  Foreign

Written by: Elena Soarez (also story)
Luiz Carlos Barreto (story)
Andrucha Waddington (story)

Directed by: Andrucha Waddington

Release Date:
Theatrical: August 11, 2006
DVD: December 12, 2006

Running Time: 103 minutes, Color

Origin: Brazil

Language(s): Portuguese (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: R for some graphic sexuality

Starring Fernanda Montenegro, Fernanda Torres, Ruy Guerra, Seu Jorge, Stênio Garcia, Luiz Melodia, Enrique Díaz, and Emiliano Queiroz

Áurea's saga starts in 1910, when, in pursuing a dream she never shared, she arrives in a caravan at a labyrinth of sand in Maranhão, northern Brazil. Her husband, Vasco, believes this land to be prosperous and she is condemned to a life in this barren place, her only female company being her mother, Dona Maria. Pregnant and dissatisfied with her destiny, she tries everything to find a way out. (Sony Pictures Classics)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

91

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The story plays out in the sensuous textures and hypnotic rhythms as the rebellious youth Torres embodies eases into a serenity and acceptance that Montenegro brings so gently to her performance.

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88

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Sensual, dreamlike, both intimate and epic, The House of Sand is a cinematic tour de force.

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88

Miami Herald Marta Barber

In House of Sand, shifting sands are not a cliché; they provide the essential emotional and visual elements that make this film memorable.

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83

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

Whether Waddington's film comes across as hypnotic or boring, mythic or pretentious, may depend on the viewer's mood or tolerance for quasi-allegorical storytelling. But, as the women in House of Sand learn, patience can sometimes be its own reward.

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83

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Montenegro, the star of "Central Station," and her daughter make a remarkable pair. They hold your attention even when the emptily portentous story does not.

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80

The New York Times Dana Stevens

At first House of Sand may seem like a stark tale of survival, but a surprisingly lush and colorful romance blossoms in its bleak and gorgeous desert setting.

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80

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

As original as it is lovely.

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80

Film Threat Michael Ferraro

Full of looming symbolism, House of Sand is a brilliant tale following a family that brings a group of settlers into the middle of the desert to start a new life.

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80

Variety Robert Koehler

Magnificently renders a fresh view of life on planet Earth.

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80

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Visually dazzling, epic in its sweep and deeply romantic in its sensibility, The House of Sand is one of those films whose images and ideas linger long after the lights come on, having been burned into the viewer's consciousness.

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75

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Soarez isn't really saying much with House of Sand, beyond marveling at the quirks of fate brought on by time. But the acting keeps it from floating into the ether.

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75

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

It's a grand outdoor spectacle (the only real interiors are within tents, and those are hard to come by) and a perfectly juicy melodrama.

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75

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

This epic tale of survival, love and adjustment covers a 59-year period - from 1910, when a band of urban émigrés arrives to start a settlement, to 1969, when only one of them remains.

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75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Ricardo Della Rosa's sumptuous, wide-screen cinematography takes full advantage of the sandy vista, complementing beautiful acting by Montenegro and Torres.

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70

LA Weekly Rob Nelson

Andrucha Waddington's admirably pretentious epic of woman in nature makes the rare attempt to impart a purely visual experience

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70

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

It's an impressive film, beautifully photographed and marvelously acted. But is it more than a set of undeniably gorgeous affectations?

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67

The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson

House Of Sand is a gorgeous piece of cinema, but by the end, it just dries up and blows away.

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67

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

The House of Sand is a more transparently ambitious, prestigious "woman's picture" than Waddington's previous feature, 2000's "Me You Them."

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63

TV Guide Ken Fox

After a positively thrilling first half, Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington's follow-up to his acclaimed 2000 debut "Me You Them" badly stumbles over an unfortunate casting strategy.

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63

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Whatever The House of Sand may lack in curb appeal, that view from the roof will have you gasping in wonderment.

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58

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The House of Sand's director, Andrucha Waddington, lays on the Awesome Visual Poetry and throws in a welter of story gimmicks, but it's all a bit too fancifully arid.

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50

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

This pretentious 2005 art movie is somewhat interesting for its wide-screen photography of the striking locale, but the storytelling is awkward and confusing.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Most viewers will have no more fun watching this story than the characters do living it.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tania K. gave it a10:
This movie is brilliant, but I think you have to be in a particular frame of mind to see that it's more than beautiful cinematography, more than the brilliant performances, and more than the understated emotions flowing throught the movie. To me, it's about finding out that no matter where you go to start over, whether it's a physical place or a mental place, your contentment and peace of heart is inside of you and not determined by external forces.

John A. gave it an8:
Excellent cinematography and acting. A moving story.

Antonio J. gave it a10:
One of the best Brazilian movies ever!

Shirlee gave it an8:
A gorgeous movie in every sense.

Welington gave it an8:
Good movie. Wonderfully acted and beautiful cinematography with something to say.

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