Mystic River

Whow. What a great film. Clint Eastwood is truly a master film maker now. I had read quite a lot about it, but for some reason, it has taken this long to get an opportunity to see it! With such a strong cast, I was amazed by how subtle, and believeable the performances were. Especially considering such melodramatic subject matter. The subject of the film -- a grizzly murder of a 19 year old daughter in a neighbourhood where she has lived all her life, is never simplified and is always left raw, and treated with such respect and solemnity that you could swear these were real events, not a facsimile. Eastwood's direction shows a thought process and attentiveness not seen from him since Unforgiven. He doesn't so much direct with a heavy handed style as merely try to represent the perspectives of the characters as mulitple, complex, changing and ultimately strong and fragile in the same moment. Highly recommended.