Somber, elusive and nearly wordless for long stretches, “War Story” follows an American combat photographer named Lee (Catherine Keener) in the aftermath of her escape from kidnappers in Libya.
Devoid of graphic flashbacks or easy exposition, the Sicily-set drama simply observes Lee as she flees a media circus and checks into a hotel. She burrows in, lowering the blinds, ignoring the constantly ringing phone and rearranging the furniture. It’s a thoughtful study of post-traumatic stress, and we’re not invited to entirely understand what Lee’s going through as she mumbles to herself and walks around the city where she’s holed up, observing and photographing strangers with a stalker-ish professional tenacity.
Keener, a versatile actress often cast for her acerbic verbosity, gets a chance to act with her silence and her expressions, and she doesn’t disappoint. But director Mark Jackson’s narrative, which sees Lee coming to the aid of a young immigrant woman (Hafsia Herzi) in need of an abortion, bogs down as it veers from Lee’s shellshocked wanderings to her intermittent interactions with the young woman.
Jackson makes off-putting visual choices occasionally; Lee’s visit to a friend (Ben Kingsley) is initially shot from such a distance that it’s impossible to see either’s face — a nod to the photographer’s emotional remoteness, but frustrating in a scene of quiet conversation, especially when it’s one of the mere two featuring Kingsley. Lee may not want to let anyone in, but it’s hard to engage fully with a film that doesn’t seem to want to, either.