Im Tal von Elah (2007)

Im Tal von Elah: Directed by Paul Haggis. With Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon. A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son’s disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

“Only Roger Ebert and the reviewer for Rolling Stone seem to see the truth here: this film is slow and elegiac because it deals with heavy matters, but it is never boring, not if you understand the situation and the depth of feelings being explored. Itu0026#39;s as if reviewers donu0026#39;t get it because they didnu0026#39;t really feel what the film is saying. Saying that there have been dozens of films about how war ruins men so itu0026#39;s a cliché, and that this one is too dreary and slow means that a person has stopped feeling for what is really hurtful, is even in denial. And thatu0026#39;s the theme of this film: what happens when we lose touch with whatu0026#39;s painful and donu0026#39;t care any more. The film is restrained but powerful, which is why it has such a strong effect. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJones is wonderfully grim, with a face like a road map, as he explores what happened to his son. Charlize Theron is beautiful even though she is playing a woman who is forced to act as non-sexy as possible to get on in her job in a male police force. Susan Sarandon is not, as some critic said, u0026quot;underusedu0026quot;; she gives a performance that is all the more powerful because it is restrained. This movie should be a must see for all who believe that the Iraq war should continue until there is an honorable time for America to leave. That time is already passed.”