War Story

After a horrific experience in Libya, war photographer Lee (Catherine Keener) has holed herself up in a small hotel in Sicily. Instead of returning home to the noise of New York, she prefers to deal with it alone. Her phone constantly rings, as colleagues and loved ones try to convince her to come back. For years she's photographed the terrors of war as an outsider, but this time it was more personal. In Libya she was taken hostage and beaten. Her partner was killed. The nightmares are haunting, and the state of constant anxiety she's in is exhausting. She tries to seek advice from her former lover (Ben Kingsley) who lives nearby, but nothing seems to help. Eventually she runs into a young girl named Hafsia, who's experiencing a life crisis of her own. For Lee it's a welcome diversion from her own pain. But, as she tries to help Hafsia, will she be able to overcome the burden of war? Keener is fantastic in her portrayal of a women emotionally crippled by PTSD in WAR STORY. (In English and Italian with subtitles) —E.F.