House of Sand and Fog

Fan of movies of visceral personal tragedy? If you haven't seen House of Sand and Fog, with Sir Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly... go rent it. The quiet struggle, the descent into despair, the agony of the compound tragedy, all of it. Talking about it seems so weak in comparison. They didn't get an Oscar for it (Lord of the Rings got it that year, so I don't begrudge the academy) but... damn.

(see also: 21 Grams - another emotional-spin-cycle-rip-your-guts-out human struggle)