"Don't Ask Don't Tell" is only part of the nitty gritty here. Being a woman in the armed forces -- and in any male-dominated society -- comes at us from several angles. So just as DADT isn't merely of interest to the gay community, neither is this compelling, powerful film. This is a deeply experienced personal story with several fascinating characters, not a film-maker on a soapbox. It's beautifully framed, acted and directed...if a bit slow in places. But any "downtime" ultimately increases the desperate angst beneath the surface: a reluctant and rejected hero, cut off from the only career and life she's ever known for reasons that are more complicated than we initially assume, gets an unexpected and unwarranted homecoming. At a time of two wars that are barely on the public's radar, here's the reality of those who've fought and lived through them: all's quiet on the home front because few civilians care to know the many truths on the ground halfway around the world. The genius of MARINE STORY is that even without special effects and battle scenes, regardless of the viewer's personal politics, we are made to pay attention to our women and men in uniform through this impeccably-focused lens. Some huge stories are best told on a smaller budget. If this is independent film-making for the 2nd decade of our century, we have much to admire and care about for years to come.
