I watched "House of Sand and Fog" (Jennifer Conally/Ben Kingsley) last night on DVD. I've got to say its the most astounding movie I've seen since I can remember. I watch a lot of movies--one every night. But I can't ever remember seeing a movie that dealt with how our living spaces effect our lives overall. And in that way I see this movie as a parable of what's happening in Israel/Palestine right now. Basically the movie follows the lives of two very different people thrown together over ownership of a house. As it was said in the extra features on the disc, at so many points both parties have ample opportunity to end their struggle and keep things from spiraling out of control. In the midst of their desparation they keep confronting each other to give up. Kindnesses are shown repeatedly. Mainly by the Iranian family in control of the house for the young woman (Jennifer Conally) who claims rightful ownership. In my studies of Israeli--Palestinian relations there are so many parallels. There must be hundreds of organizations attempting to bring people together and humanize the struggle. If it bleeds it leads, its true. But the same issues do not go away. But this movie as parable demonstrates, what is the land truly worth? What is this sense of place worth in blood? Can cooler heads prevail? There's a wealth of nuance in this conversation. Are other's catching the power of this movie for that discussion? I hope so. I guess I'll go do a web search.