Another new member of the group is Isabelle (Talia Lugacy, who also wrote and directed the film), a Marine who has returned from her tour of duty with a limp, a family whose disregard for her and her problems borders on neglect, and plenty of barely internalized guilt over the things she experienced overseas. Isabelle soon becomes attached to Will, who seems to be holding things together much better than her. She clearly wants to figure out how he's been able to turn the corner when she hasn’t, only to get a rude awakening to how he's not quite as together as she seems to think.
These moments are fine, but sometimes smack a little too closely to the kind of obvious storytelling this film seems to be otherwise decrying when compared to the gripping stuff involving the other veterans. Some of the dialogue in their conversations feels just a little too contrived in its attempt to hammer home the underlying points Lugacy is trying to make. None of these scenes, save for a clunky one between Isabelle and her awful mother (Frances Fisher), are total duds and the performances from Lugacy and Adegoke are both good but the juxtaposition between them and the other stuff can be jarring.
For the most part, however, “This Is Not a War Story” is an ambitious and thoughtful attempt to deal with veterans coming to terms with what they have seen and done, without resorting to the overt melodramatics that even the most earnest and well-meaning Hollywood films sometimes indulge in. Granted, many may find this movie to be too painful at times, preferring the theatrics of titles like the one that it name-checks. However, those who can do without those theatrics and who can handle the occasional uneven moments may well be struck by the quiet power of "This is Not a War Story."
On HBO Max now.
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