Drama

Filmmaker Yair Hochner puts politics on the back burner to craft this upbeat comedy about the multitude of domestic and romantic issues faced by contemporary youth living in Tel Aviv. Omer is a homosexual young man with problems even most straight people can relate to: Omer is approaching 30, and still hasn't established his own identity, much less found the man of his dreams. Meanwhile, his heterosexual sister, Shirley, thinks she has found her ideal mate in hip café owner Michal, yet refuses to settle down and let go of her longtime dreams of moving to Antarctica. Of course, their friends and relatives all have their opinions on how Shirley and Omer could pull their lives together if they really desired to do so, their outspoken mother, Shoshanna, being the most vocal of all. Who knows, one day it may even happen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Shamim Sarif's autobiographical novel serves as the inspiration for this film directed by the author, and concerning two women from deeply diverse backgrounds who discover that the love between them is too powerful to deny. Tala (Lisa Ray) is a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent. She's a spirited Christian in the midst of planning her wedding to her handsome Jordanian fiancé. Leyla (Sheetal Sheth) is a shy Muslim who's currently dating Leyla's best friend, Ali. Brought together by chance, Tala and Leyla form a slow bond that grows deeper with every minute they spend together. Eventually, the two girls reveal their true feelings to one another, and realize that they have fallen in love. But Tala is bound by her cultural heritage, and books a flight back to Jordan as Leyla's wedding date draws near. Back in London, a heartbroken Leyla decides to be honest with herself and her family by coming clean about her feelings for Tala. Inspired by Leyla's fearless commitment to Tala, Leyla's sister and Ali make it their mission to reunite the two girls. But before Tala can be truly happy with Leyla, she must first define for herself what true love really means. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Set in a sleepy Northern California town in the 1940s, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane, a humble barber who suspects his hard-hearted and hard-drinking wife Doris (Frances McDormand) of having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini). When a jocular stranger (Jon Polito) breezes into town hinting at the fortune to be made investing in an outlandish-sounding new invention called dry cleaning, Ed hatches a blackmail scheme he hopes will make him rich and get him some revenge at the same time. His plan goes horribly awry when he accidentally commits a murder for which Doris ends up being blamed, landing her in the slammer and Ed at the mercy of blowhard big-city lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). Filmed in black-and-white by three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn't There was inspired by the seedy crime novels of James M. Cain, putting a distinctly Coen brothers' spin on the film noir tradition. Though spiked with their characteristic humor, its moody atmosphere hearkens back to the darker moments of Blood Simple and Fargo -- a marked departure from the high-spirited slapstick of O Brother Where Art Thou. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide

Jon Avnet's The War is set in the rural south and brimming with lessons on social consciousness, much like his previous effort, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). During the summer of 1970 in backwoods Mississippi, Stephen Simmons (Kevin Costner) is struggling to be a breadwinner for his family while still suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the Vietnam War. His wife Lois (Mare Winningham) provides most of the family income. Stephen gets a job in a mine and saves a friend who has been injured, helping him erase his guilt over abandoning another friend during a firefight in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the Simmons children, Stu (Elijah Wood) and Lidia (Lexi Randall) are feuding with an even poorer family of neighbors, the Lipnickis, over access to a tree fort that Stu and Lidia built. Mr. Lipnicki (Raynor Scheine) is drunken and abusive and helps escalate the disagreement into a major battle for the fort. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Actor Rick Schroder makes his directorial debut with this inspiring drama set in the American Southwest. Black Cloud (Eddie Spears) is a young Native American who grew up in a violent household and is still struggling to come to terms with his family and his heritage. Black Cloud's life has forced him to be quick with his fists, and Bud (Russell Means), a longtime friend and mentor, has been coaching Black Cloud in boxing with the young man showing great promise in a Navajo Golden Gloves competition. Norm (Peter Greene), a scout for the United States Olympic boxing team, sees Black Cloud in the ring and is certain he has the potential to be a champion, but Black Cloud isn't certain if he wants to fight for anything besides his people. Meanwhile, Black Cloud has fallen in love with Sammi (Julia Jones), a pretty young Native American woman, but she has a child from a previous relationship with Eddie Young (Rick Schroder), a hot-tempered rodeo rider. When an argument between Eddie and Black Cloud escalates into a fistfight, Black Cloud viciously beats him, and soon Sheriff Powers (Tim McGraw) is on the lookout for the young man. Black Cloud also features Wayne Knight, Tim Sampson, and "Pooch" Marion Hall. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide