Limbo

John Sayles is a favorite at the Highland Cinema. He's done a few boring ones in recent years, sure, but if there's one thing he always nails it's characters. The best writing in the business comes from this guy: everyone in Limbo and nearly everyone in the other Sayles flicks thus screened is real. They're naturally complex and naturally remarkable. Joe, Donna, and Noelle are disappointed, but we don't have to wallow in their self-pity. So charming and awkward is the burgeoning relationship between Joe and Donna, and so poignant is Donna's love for her daughter. Whatever inner turmoils and troubles they have are revealed at a pace that's appropriate and true to life, and we never have to sit through Oscar-baiting emotional breakdowns. Salut to John Sayles! He writes each movie three times.

David Strathairn is a great actor and I'm glad he got some recognition last year, but Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio steals the show. She has a real set of pipes.