Stormy weather

Saw a remarkable and very important film today, one to keep an eye out for. It just opened this week in Germany, and may not open across the seas for a long time, but here's hoping. The film, by Hans- Christian Schmid, is called "Sturm," and tells the story of Hannah Maynard, a lawyer working for the International Criminal Court for Yugoslavia near the end of its allotted time; politicians want the court to finish its business, but justice takes time. Higher-ups see bigger pictures, but lawyers, at least sometimes, hear the voices of individuals. I don't want to say much more, but will say that every moment of this film rings true, in pain, complexity and psychological insight. Every performance, especially leads Kerry Fox and Anamaria Marinca, is stellar. Something happens when Hannah meets a young Bosnian refugee in Berlin named Mira Arendt. Yes, something like a Hannah Arendt emerges, but in so subtle and believable a way it took me hours of discussing the film to even begin to figure it out.