Return

With its modest scale and sharp observations, writer-director Liza Johnson's first feature has the quiet impact of a short story. Full Review

As director Liza Johnson understands, simply being over there changes someone, no matter if anything unusually traumatic happened to the person. Full Review

There are a couple of hundred instances in which Johnson or her actors could take condescending short cuts and slip into white-trash stereotypes, but I didn't see any - only gifted performers vanishing into their characters, refusing to pass judgment. Full Review

Reversing his "Take Shelter" role, Michael Shannon convinces as her grounded husband and "Mad Men's" John Slattery offers good support as a fellow vet. But this is Cardellini's film, and she dominates with a terrific, tough-minded turn. Full Review

Johnson's feel for the rhythms of reconnection are steady, and she and her fine actors make Return one of only a handful of films to honestly address what to many is heartbreaking reality. Full Review