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House of Sand
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Sean Axmaker
    91
    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.
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Marta Barber
    88
    In House of Sand, shifting sands are not a cliché; they provide the essential emotional and visual elements that make this film memorable.
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    88
    Sensual, dreamlike, both intimate and epic, The House of Sand is a cinematic tour de force.
  4. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    83
    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.
  5. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    83
    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.
  6. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Michael Ferraro
    80
    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.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    80
    As original as it is lovely.
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    80
    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.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    80
    Magnificently renders a fresh view of life on planet Earth.
  10. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    80
    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.
  11. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    75
    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.
  12. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    75
    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.
  13. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    75
    Ricardo Della Rosa's sumptuous, wide-screen cinematography takes full advantage of the sandy vista, complementing beautiful acting by Montenegro and Torres.
  14. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    75
    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.
  15. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    70
    It's an impressive film, beautifully photographed and marvelously acted. But is it more than a set of undeniably gorgeous affectations?
  16. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Rob Nelson
    70
    Andrucha Waddington's admirably pretentious epic of woman in nature makes the rare attempt to impart a purely visual experience
  17. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marrit Ingman
    67
    The House of Sand is a more transparently ambitious, prestigious "woman's picture" than Waddington's previous feature, 2000's "Me You Them."
  18. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    67
    House Of Sand is a gorgeous piece of cinema, but by the end, it just dries up and blows away.
  19. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    63
    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.
  20. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    63
    Whatever The House of Sand may lack in curb appeal, that view from the roof will have you gasping in wonderment.
  21. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    58
    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.
  22. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    50
    Most viewers will have no more fun watching this story than the characters do living it.
  23. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    50
    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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User Reviews

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User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. TaniaK.
    10
    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.… Full Review »
  2. JohnA.
    8
    Excellent cinematography and acting. A moving story.
  3. AntonioJ.
    10
    One of the best Brazilian movies ever!
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