In the Valley of Elah

[taebin]

Been out for a couple weeks but I just got around to seeing it.

Like many people out there, I'm on the fence about the war. I think we went in with a lot of wrong information. It's unfortunate that the situation has become so mired that we feel we can't pull out without destablizing the whole region. And I agree with this sentiment and feel like it's our duty to make sure that when we leave, they are able to govern themselves and have some form of military. But after watching movies like this, you really come out thinking, "Fuck it, let's get everybody out. Now." I mean kids who are 18, just out of high school, being put through this shit. The things they see and go through over there. It's just disgusting. But I digress...

Sad, somber movie. Tommy Lee Jones does a great job as usual. He plays a dad who's son comes back from Iraq and has gone missing. He leaves his home in Tennessee to go look for him. He gets some help from a detective (Charlize Theron) near the base and they start to uncover what happened.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Once his son's body is found, I think the movie shifts. I was expecting them to find him, but once he ID'd the body, it really sank in that he lost him. The grief expressed by Susan Sarandon is really moving, because I feel like that would be how my mom would react if she had to get that news. Perhaps the most disturbing thing was how calm the guy was giving his confession. He said "he looked down and he was stabbing him," like he didn't have control of what he was doing. And then they went and got some chicken because they were really hungry. It amazed me how much the shit they saw over seas can psychologically fuck them up that bad.

Anyways, not a good date movie. But pretty moving and disheartening. 8/10

[Dom Devore]

Just saw this and it is easily one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Tommy Lee Jones' performance was stellar as usual alongside a great performance by Charlize Theron's performance.