Please Make It All Right

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2015)

One can't watch this without thinking of our present coming home soldiers. Consider the rampant PTSD and all the other factors that affect the lives of these young men and women. Some are maimed and some are psychologically damaged as they try to resume their lives. This film brings a portrait of three men who have left the same war, World War II, with various handicaps. One has lost his hands in an accident, one has become bitter and dissatisfied with the treatment of his fellow military comrade, and the third goes back to his wife, who has no interest in him anymore, who is only interested in a meal ticket. We get to see how war has changed these people. The handicapped man is the most obvious, as he longs for normalcy, yet watches as his family and friends drop into a depressed state, utterly aware of his limitations. They don't mean to, but they take away his humanity. He falls into the pits of depression, almost driving away the one who loves him most. The other two wrestle with their own demons. This is beautifully presented in a subtle way, without being maudlin. Of course, Hollywood requires a sappy ending. Still, the rest of the movie, including the great Hoagie Carmichael as a piano playing bar owner, stands on its own merit. I hadn't seen this movie in nearly forty years and it was a delight.