Life During Wartime

Todd Solondz’ Life During Wartime is a jolting affair, provided you’ve never seen a Todd Solondz movie before. If you’re familiar his 1998 ensemble drama Happiness, you’ll notice that he’s both revisiting and muting the provocative nature of that story. Although Wartime has multiple storylines, the thickest thread involves a family trying to emotionally move past a pedophile in its midst. Wartime doesn’t seem terribly realistic, nor does it draw you in with its character development. It’s ultimately cold, flat and a little full of itself, especially if you’re grounded in the filmmaker’s previous work.