A stirring antiwar documentary, co-directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, Body of War chronicles the post-war life of Tomas Young, who enlisted on 9/13 and was paralyzed by a bullet after just five days in Iraq. The experience has transformed Young from being, as he says, “politically minded” to “politically active.” There is considerable footage of Young protesting as part of the Iraq Veterans Against War, and these scenes are among the most moving. Young’s speeches are also rousing, and he is seen throughout the film as thoughtful and frustrated. (He also possesses both a keen sense of humor as well as a troubling case of post-traumatic stress disorder). His tough mother—who has to bear her son Nathan going off to Iraq—is equally inspirational with her courage and conviction. Rounding out the voices of reason is the firebrand that is West Virginia senator Richard Byrd. Byrd’s urges not to give the President the power to declare war comes across as the loudest and the clearest, as many senators seen in the film spout repetitive rhetoric justifying going to war. Young serves as a sobering reminder as to the consequences of this action.

Alexandra
In writer/director Alexander Sokurov’s sepia-toned drama, the title character (opera star Galina Vishnevskaya) is a grandmother who pays a visit to her grandson Denis (Vasily Shevtsov) in the army. Once at the camp, she observes 20-year-old soldiers cleaning their guns, inquires about the eating and sleeping habits of the boys, and runs an errand for cigarettes at the market, meeting some women her age who commiserate with her. The point of these activities shows the horrors of war without showing any battle action. The conversation that takes place between Alexandra and Denis as he braids her hair—she asks when he’s getting married—signifies the gulf between their lives. While marvelously acted by Vishnevskaya—her facial expressions are extraordinary—Alexandra is mostly slow going and episodic. But it’s not meant to have a big payoff, and that is exactly where its power lies.

Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character in this big-screen version of the Marvel comic.

Made of Honor
Just when Tom (Patrick Dempsey) decides he loves Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), she not only gets engaged, but asks him to be her maid of honor. Will true love win out? You’ll have to see the film.

 

This smart Italian import is a sensitively made coming-of-age film. In 1962, Accio (Elio Germano), the younger brother of Communist Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio), declares himself a Fascist. This film is less about politics as it is about love—the boys fight over the same woman, Francesca (Diane Fleri). She loves Manrico and loves to argue with Accio. As episodes depict their maturation—Accio falls in love and in bed with his Fascist mentor’s wife—a political act bonds the two brothers for life. Briskly directed by Daniele Luchetti, My Brother is an Only Child features plenty of handheld camerawork which gives it a sense of immediacy. Unlike Accio, the filmnever takes itself too seriously. It’s an entertaining family drama. However, by the end, it packs an emotional wallop.

 

Never Forever
Vera Farmiga (The Departed) stars as a woman who hires a surrogate man to help her conceive a child, and possibly jeopardizes her marriage in the process.

 

For her directorial debut, Helen Hunt also opted, perhaps unwisely, to play the lead role. Alas, neither her direction nor her performance are particularly distinguished. This is not to say this adaptation of Elinor Lipman’s novel about an adopted adult child named April (Hunt) meeting her birth mother Bernice (Bette Midler) is without interest. It’s just that it lacks pacing, tone, and tempo. Hunt plays a Jewish woman whose husband Ben (Matthew Broderick) leaves her. Then her mother dies. April is forlorn, but she finds a sense of self when she replaces her husband with a hottie (Colin Firth) whose young son she teaches. Complications are raised as Ben and Bernice break boundary issues, sometimes aggressively. While Then She Found Me never quite addresses the question it raises of how people can know their mothers, it does provide some interesting ideas about the notion of family. However, the neurotic characters will charm or annoy viewers. And for every fast-talking sequence with Bernice, there is a lovely exchange between Firth and Hunt. The film is a rollercoaster with plenty of ups and downs, most done at high speed. Viewers who hang on tight may get a thrill.