Mystic River (review)

Director Clint Eastwood's (Unforgiven) latest film, a stunning meditation on loss, follows three childhood friends divided by tragedy as kids and reunited by another today, discovering along the way that no one ever really recovers, that tendrils of grief and rage extend into our families and the community around us. Not a happy film, nor an easy one to watch, but the powerful, raw performances from its superb ensemble cast -- including Sean Penn (I Am Sam), Tim Robbins (The Truth About Charlie), and Kevin Bacon (Trapped) as the trio of former buddies -- lend the film an intimacy unlike any we're likely to see in another film this year.