It’s been quite a few years since Angelina Jolie won her Oscar for Girl, Interrupted; it seems as though she dropped off the face of the serious acting world - until now. Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart rolled into Cannes film festival this year, and its another one of those current event films. Last year brought two of them - United 93 and World Trade Center. Obviously these are not easy films to sit through, but, if done right (like United 93), they can be truly moving. Sadly, Winterbottom’s telling of the brutal murder of Wall Street Journal writer Daniel Pearl in Pakistan is neither moving nor respectable in any fashion. The only great thing about the film is Jolie’s performance, which, contrast to many opinions, is not eclipsed by her star power. I would like to think that most of the problems with the film happened in the editing room, but it is simply too flawed for editing to receive all the blame. The first twenty minutes of the film are actually pretty good - the telling of the events leading up to the murder is effective and emotional. It’s after this first act that the film comes to a screeching halt instigated by disorienting editing, a host of confusing minor characters, and varying points of view that distract more than inform. When dealing with a topic this serious, it is imperative to remain focused and straightforward. By halfway through the movie, I was so confused that the film no longer had any staying power and the emotional moments just laid there on the screen. If this were a fictional event, these faults would not be so serious. However, if one remembers all the discussion last year about whether it was too soon for such films to be made, it should be noted that the proper handling of such recent tragic events is critical, especially to those people directly affected by the events. A Mighty Heart is almost offensive in its mishandling of such a serious topic. Winterbottom exploits the persons involved by randomly showing us images simply to provoke an emotional response. Random cuts to Daniel throughout the film serve no other purpose. The lack of a single point of view results in not only confusion but also a lack of suspense. It is a shame that some of the powerful images in the film fall flat because of all the distractions. Some more careful editing could have prevented these mistakes and resulted in a more powerful film. As is, A Mighty Heart is anything but mighty. C