A flawed film, yes, but the performances shared what few films allow me to do after the viewing - think about them. I will remember Dafoe's calm narrative, and the expression of Loggia as he watches his two sons sleeping next to one another in the mud.

I can excuse the typically swelling music when most everything else shows this horrible situation so well. An unexpected restraint in its presentation that makes it seem all the more poignant in its humanity and ugliness. Many critics find fault in the qualities I admire but this is that rare subject that does not benefit from flashy imagery. On the negative side, the women's story seemed incomplete and Robert Loggia doesn't seem to give much. Powerful, important work still.

Excellent performances, predictably painful to watch.