Just saw this movie...

Rating: 6/10 (22 July 2004)

...and it was fantastic. We went to a pre-screening last night in Salt Lake City where the producer, writer, and director answered questions afterward. I thought the film was very well-handled and definitely has a general audience appeal. Granted, it's hard to compete with big budget war films when you make a movie for just under a million dollars (read: This is not Schindler's List), but I agree with the director when he said it could easily compete with movies in the 15-20 million dollar range.
While I noticed my self critiquing the movie at first and almost looking for signs of amateurity, I soon forgot about that and was drawn into the story and moral dilemmas involved. The cinematography and editing both proved good, and the director proved his abilities quiet handily. While some the scenes do get pretty intense, the main focus here is more the personal effects of war than the number of bodies. Along with perhaps The Other Side of Heaven, definitely the most professional film from any Mormon director to date.