When the film focuses on the heart, the Pearl family & friends, A Mighty Heart is unbelievably touching & amazing, but it loses its center when it focuses on the investigation or goes through long sections without subtitles but spoken in foreign language. The filmmaker should have trusted Jolie & just let her dominate the movie because she captures Marianne’s spirit. I suspect that if a French director made the film, it would have had more meditative & moving moments, which are there, but are rudely interrupted with the Syriana style approach when it explores the criminal investigation–& for what purpose? I don’t care about the barbarians who beheaded a human being. I know that it is a rough thing to say, but they killed a man because he is an American Jew, 2 words which should never inspire that kind of rage & which invoke, for me, images of family & friends, New Yorkers, etc. It is so irrational that to me, it proves that the Bible is true. This persistent anti-Semitism that existed through all ages & in so many different places is so irrational & rooted in evil & yet despite the efforts of literally numerous empires, there are still Jewish people! Praise God who has preserved them & pray for peace! When these events occurred, I was so upset on behalf the Pearl family. My prayers are with them as well. François Ozon should have done it. He made Under the Sand.