Brazil, 1910...

Deep into the heart of an uncharted desert region Aurea (Fernanda Torres), her mother (Fernanda Montenegro), and her husband Vasco (Ruy Guerra) will attempt to start a new life. Hundreds of miles away from civilization the trio settles near a picturesque lagoon with plenty of water. There, with the assistance of a group of workers, Vasco begins to build the house of his dreams. Unfortunately the unstable construction collapses and Vasco dies. Aurea and her mother are left alone amidst the unfriendly sands of the desert.

Inspired by the popular novel Woman of the Dunes and a newspaper article with a tiny photo of a house buried into the sands Brazilian director Andrucha Waddington's latest film Casa de Areia a.k.a The House of Sand (2005) arrives on DVD as the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

The House of Sand unfolds over a long period of time as the audience is given the opportunity to follow the struggles of two generations; starting with Aurea's arrival in the desert in 1910 and consequently following the life of her daughter in the late 1960s. The picture never abandons the tempo introduced in the opening scenes and as a result Aurea and her daughter share an equal amount of time on the screen.

What truly makes this Brazilian film well worth seeing however is not its story (it is fairly obvious what direction the story is heading once the main characters are introduced) but the power of its visuals. Mesmerizing, at times rivaling the epic vistas from Bernardo Bertolucci's The Sheltering Sky (1990), and for long periods devoid of any dialog, The House of Sand welcomes its viewers into a region of Brazil where time appears to have stopped. Isolated from civilization, for hundreds of miles without a single human being, the Brazilian desert is both beautiful and daunting. It is hard to believe that people had the courage to seek a new life where such could not have been possible.

Produced by Daniel Filho, whose 2 Filhos de Franciso a.k.a Two Sons of Francisco (2005) was submitted by the Brazilian Film Academy as the country's official Oscar entry in 2006, The House of Sand avoids most of what wannabe epic pictures suffer from: overdramatizaion of characters and story. From the minute Aurea and her mother are introduced to the viewers their faces begin to speak louder than their words. Love, pain, anger...there is so much more in the eyes of Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro (the mother is simply exceptional) than what we are used to seeing in Hollywood actors.

Finally, the music score by Joao Barone and Carlo Bertolini deserves a special mention as it truly adds to the exotic aura of this film. There is something incredibly beautiful about listening to a classic piano while the moon is shining down the desert.

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's the film looks absolutely gorgeous. SONY have delivered a near perfect transfer as colors are incredibly strong (the night scenes are captured impressively well), contrast is very good, and edge enhancement rather tolerable. I noticed a tiny bit of shimmering at the first ocean scene but nothing that you should be overly concerned about. Furthermore, there are no specs, marks, or any other damage that I could see, just a strong progressive print that does this film justice. Period!

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with a 5.1 Portuguese mix The House of Sand has received an equally impressive audio treatment. As noted above silence plays a very important role in this picture and its treatment is most pleasing. The music score comes off the speakers delicately complementing the great cinematography and as far as I am concerned the classic tunes are just about perfect. There were no disturbing pop-ups, hissing, or any other issues that I could detect. With optional English, French, and Portuguese subtitles.

Extras:

Aside from a rather generic "Making Of" which offers a few "behind the scenes" rough looks at the filming process, and a few trailers for other upcoming or already released SONY films there is nothing else to find on this disc.

Final words:

An incredibly beautiful film which surprisingly received some truly harsh reviews The House of Sand offers a look at the plight of two women to find happiness where such does not exists. With a top-notch cast, impressive cinematography, and a most delicate music score this relatively new Brazilian picture comes highly-recommended.