This movie is an extreme, yet plausible example, of how even good intentions cannot change things and push situations into unpleasant territory (to say the least). Kathy (Jennifer Connelly), a woman struggling with alcoholism and abandoned by her husband, finds herself being evicted from her home. In the time it takes her to assess the situation and get some legal help, her house has been put up for sale and has been scooped up by an Iranian emigre, Colonel Behrani (Ben Kingsley). Both of the main characters wear masks to ward off some of life's harsh realities - Kathy hides the ugly facts of her situation from her mother and slips into irresponsibility of not even reading her mail which might have saved her from being evicted, while Behrani projects an image with the trappings of status, despite the fact that he toils in manual labor. In an effort to bear the costs of raising his growing family, he immediately grabs Kathy's property with the intention of selling it later for a profit. A law officer, Lester (Ron Eldard), tries to help Kathy with her troubles, and his good intentions push them all further into bigger trouble. The tug of war for Kathy's house becomes a war of wills that end tragically. It seems a gutsy call to give this material to first-time Ukrainian director Perelman, who pushes all the right buttons and serves up a great story. And speaking of splendid work, isn't there anything the great Ben Kingsley can't do? Years removed from his Oscar win for Gandhi, he still churns out quality output.
"And I will not be pleased if I don't get the role of Prof. Xavier in XMen 3!!"
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