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House of Sand
Grade: B-

This Brazilian drama easily qualifies as one of the most visually arresting films of the year, but from a dramatic standpoint it really ought to be called House of Bland. When the camera’s not capturing gorgeous views of sand and sky, we’re left to ponder the rather uneventful lives of a woman and her mother as they fend for themselves in the desert in the early 1900s. Fernanda Montenegro, an Oscar nominee for Central Station, headlines the capable but unremarkable cast.