A Mighty Heart

There is nothing more difficult in filmmaking than making a film in which everybody knows the ending. A Mighty Heart tackles this problem expertly and the result is a powerful drama with an incredible message. Michael Winterbottom directs a beautiful film from John Orloff’s adaptation of Mariane Pearl’s book. Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman deliver subtle, yet powerful lead performances and the supporting cast is outstanding. The film stays true to the tragic real story but at the same time provides a unique look at how one woman struggles to keep it together under the most intense circumstances. The cinematography in this film is amazing and resembles the feel of a documentary: daytime backgrounds are allowed to be overexposed and nighttime scenes are sometimes hard to see. It adds to the authenticity of the film and serves the true story well. The pacing is strong for a film in which a good deal of the drama unfolds in a living room with the main characters sitting around looking at their laptops. Another impressive element is both Winterbottom and Orloff’s self-restraint. This film could have easily preached to its audience, but instead the filmmakers let the characters and real events lead the way which results in a tough, social-political drama that will appeal to many. If there is a downside to the film it’s that Jolie can be hard to believe sometimes with her French accent. It’s not that she is not good (this isn’t a Kevin Costner in Robinhood issue!!), it’s just that she has become such a public icon that I find it hard to separate that image from her characters in films sometimes. This is a film worthy of all the awards it received and it’s a real shame that the Oscars overlooked it.

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Film Website: http://www.amightyheartmovie.com/