Before films like The Deer Hunter (among others) provided commentary on the readjustment of soldiers after the Vietnam War, this film tackled the way in which soliders dealt with coming home after World War II. This is a long story that looks at the lives of three men from the same town who all come home together and
form a bond as they each struggle individually to move on with their lives after having served overseas. It's also an extremely relevant and good story, too. I liked how the narratives interweaved, although the connection between the men and their fast friendship seems a little undercooked and more coincidental than anything, as these men have apparently never known one another before the war. The film won a ton of Oscars though (including for Best Picture), and I have to say that they're all pretty well deserved. The performances are great, and I loved how they got an actual handicapped guy to play Homer, adding authenticity to things. The film is really touching, and well shot, but not without a few minor flaws.The editing could be a bit tighter, cutting down some of the run time. This would also cut down on the film's occasional dragging. Also, ike I mentioned above, a slightly better developed background connection for the characters. While the film does a fairly good job of covering each man's story, it seemed like things could have been a bit more equally balanced in terms of amount of time devoted to each.All in all, a very well done and engaging film about an important subject. I'm glad I saw this, because I really had no idea that there were any films about post war experiences of soldiers for the WWII era. Highly Recommended.
July 6, 2010
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