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Review

In this atmospheric, wrenching adaptation of Andre Dubus III's best-selling novel, tragedy and despair come to those who each has right on their side. In a strong portrayal navigating compassion, greed and pride, Kingsley plays Massoud Amir Behrani, an Iranian immigrant who has relocated to the California coast with his wife and teenaged son. At auction, he purchases the house of Kathy Nicolo (Connelly), a recovering alcoholic who through clerical error has lost her home. As Kathy attempts to use the legal system to reclaim what is properly hers, she and Behrani, who has purchased the house legally, become locked in a battle of wills into who has proper ownership. Their escalating confrontations eventually lead to heartbreaking loss. Kingsley and Connelly, both former Oscar winners, are engaging, etching sympathetic performances even all the while their characters act in unsympathetic ways. It is Iranian-born actress Aghdashloo, however, who delivers the film's most lasting impression, bringing dignity, fear and longing to Behrani's wife who watches the world around her fall to pieces. A haunting, sad but involving story of loss, desperation and bad fortune.

 -- Teresa Slackway