GREAT MOVIES ABOUT REAL FOLKS

Watched two good dramas this week, both worthy of recommendation.

The first was Flame and Citron, the story (based on real-life people) of two Danish resistance fighters during WWII. They assassinated Nazis and collaborators. Filmed in Danish, they are portrayed in a gritty realism that is not Hollywood "heroic" but clearly the nationally honoured figures they deserve to be. A hard watch; worth it.

The second was Parkland, an understated and faithful rendering of the day of (and week after) JFK's assassination. It follows several real-life people: Doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Abraham Zapruder; Lee Harvey Oswald's brother and mother; and various FBI and Secret Service agents. I found myself weeping uncontrollably at various points in it -- they absolutely capture the era. Brilliant quiet performances by Marcia Gay Harden, Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatta, Jacki Weaver, Colin Hanks and (even) Zac Efron. Don't miss it.