Turtles Can Fly

This starts off as an intriguing film about a young boy who basically commands his own city of children. Living in the Kurdish section of Iraq just before the start of the most recent war, he finds himself strangely drawn to a silent girl whose armless brother can, perhaps, predict the future. Strong performances and a precocious script help this film out, but it begins to bog down in the middle third. Still, it’s an interesting look at life on the edge of war.