Reviewing LDS themed films always presents a bit of an objectivity crisis that often places an LDS critic on the horns of a dilemma. Reviewing even the stronger films from the Halestorm stable, or Richard Dutcher by the same standards applied to other films often requires "kid glove" treatment or the possibility of disfellowship. Awarding a film such as Home Teachers, for example, with a grade any higher than a D+ is indicative of partisan glad-handing, pity, or the desire to avoid eternal damnation. Happily, amid the spate of Halestorm comedies and the spin-off's they've inspired, the emerging LDS film market has produced a number of films that transcend the all-too-easy-to-entertain target market and stand as films that can be judged by any standards.

Although it was virtually ignored, zboneman.com will forever stand behind our contention that the best film of 2005 is Greg Whitely's extraordinary documentary New York Doll. You could exhaust every superlative in the English language and still never sufficiently describe the virtues of this miraculous and inspiring film that chronicles the latter days (as it were) of former New York Dolls bassist Arthur Killer Kane. Not only does this film wear it's heart on it's sleeve, but it's Mormonism as well - managing to do so without alienating a soul.

Before I proceed let me make it clear that by no means am I categorically dismissing the Halestorm catalogue as heavy-handed, inconsequential fluff - there are extremely entertaining moments in these films. The Best Two Years is among the top five best LDS films ever made and there are inspired moments in all of them. I was particularly impressed by the satirical smarts demonstrated in Sons of Provo, and Mobsters and Mormons is in a lot of ways a pretty daring indictment of the provincial and judgmental nature of so many of the church members. Which is a theme explored with a courageous intelligence and a uniquely nuanced intimacy in newcomer Tracy Garner's well-conceived debut, Return With Honor.

Experienced Hollywood editor Michael Amundsen does a remarkable job in his feature film directorial debut taking Tracy Garner's inspired script and bringing it to life with a cast of unfamiliar faces. The film actually benefits from its cast of relative unknowns because it adds to the believability of the story. Should they have trotted out Wilford Brimley in a cameo as the fateful cab-driver it would have ruined the whole thing for me. In fact, the combination of unfamilar new actors with Garner's singularly intimate script gives the movie goer an almost voyeuristic experience. With a seemingly simple plot device, Garner has managed to Trojan horse the audience inside the Mormon walls allowing us to see the whole thing unfold from the inside. Which, instantly strips away all of the tired old preconceptions and Mormon sterotypes and shows Mormons for what they really are - normal people who are subject to the same human foibles and personal struggles as anyone else. The fact that it has been so well recieved on the festival circuit is a good indication that the film is reaching well beyond the traditional LDS marketplace. Hopefully Excel will recognize this potential for more universal appeal and promote it in ways that probe beyond the Bonneville box.

Return With Honor first earns it's title as Elder Rowe McDonald (Javen Tanner) is being released from his mission. An overachiever, Rowe spent his two years in Las Vegas as a successful missionary racking up impressive stats. But in his release interview with his mission supervisor it is intimated that Rowe's success owed more to his penchant for choosing individuals ripe for conversion, than to his fiery testimony. In the interview Rowe confides that his first order of business upon returning home will be that of converting his non-Mormon mother. To which his wry supervisor jests that he hopes that his mother is as readily disposed to baptism as some of his converts.

By making his protagonist out to be flawed, sometimes unlikeable and at the very least "human" Garner takes a bit of gamble that audiences will cotton to his main character. (Garner now lives in Las Vegas which may explain his propensity for taking chances). But thanks to Javen Tanner's boyish charm and Tom Hanks-like bearing, Rowe is afforded a bit of wiggle room. On his way from the airport he even has a bit of an unpleasant exchange of words with the man driving the cab. Little does Rowe realize how significant this conversation will become.

Nervously awaiting Rowe's return are two women. One is his faithful, bubbly and temple-wedding obsessed girlfriend Ally (Joey Jalalian), the other his non-member mother (whom has been in poor touch as of late due to accepting a job as a bartender and moving in with the man who owns the tavern.) Complicating Rowe's urgent desire to convert his mother is the fact that she is fully expecting her son's reaction to the new developments in her life and has set her entire being in a defensive stance. It's a bit difficult to explain Rowe's pre-occupation with his mother's salvation without playing the spoiler, but his agenda has a catastrophic effect on Ally's already-in-motion plans for their elaborate wedding.

The premise that the story is predicated upon will require some suspension of disbelief -at least for non-Mormons who aren't as accustomed to great leaps of faith. But it has the effect of ramping up the emotional quotient insofar as every small gesture or remark resonates with immediacy. More importantly the premise serves to enliven the narrative in such a way as to allow the creators to maintain a somber tone without worrying about hitting parts that sag. And for the heavy weight thinkers it opens up a twilight zone of metaphysical abstraction (you begin to look at everything from angles both forward and backward, giving the film an extra helping of food for thought.) In effect, Garner has posed a pretty clever "what if" scenario which he examines quite intelligently.

As an audience we fully understand Rowe's haste and impatience. Yet, we can just as easily relate to the people in his life who are confused by his overzealous efforts to convert his mother, while on the other hand he seems disinterested to the point of dragging his feet when it comes to Ally's wedding plans. By putting Rowe in "hurry-up offense" mode Garner is able to expose character flaws (he becomes increasingly judgmental, selfish and prone to jump to hasty conclusions, etc.) all of which may have remained otherwise hidden beneath his handsome boyish veneer. One of the true hallmarks of a great movie is that it teaches you things you already know. (Stay with me) There are dozens of things about life that we kind of know maybe only on some sort of instinctive level. Things that would be difficult if not impossible to express in words. Things that can really only be "shown." Return With Honor is one of those films that "shows" a lot of those things, things about human nature and more importantly about ourselves.

Take for example his life-long friend Corbin.(Raymond Zieters) The two had once been inseparable, but upon his return he is shocked by the metamorphosis Corbin has undergone. Not only does Rowe disapprove of his close friend's new look and lifestyle, (he's shaved his head, adorned it with a rather sizable tattoo, pierced his ears and nose and is singing in a metal band) but he automatically assumes that Corbin has turned to indiscriminate sex, alcohol and probably drugs. I should first say that Zieters is a revelation here, with impeccable timing, he turns in the funnest performance of the film. Corbin is the first one to really call Rowe on the carpet for returning from his mission with pinched face and a stick up his butt. Late in the film it is Corbin who stumbles innocently upon Rowe's journal, thus discovering the reason behind his friend's bizarre behavior and becomes the only person Rowe can confide in about his existential predicament.

It all comes to a head when Rowe goes to the bar to step up the effort to turn his mothers life around, and is accosted by a trio of toughs who've heard reports of his holier-than-thou treatment of his mother and proceed to accost him over a pool table and force-feed him a beer. Later when he seeks out Ally to apologize for for a bit of bad behavior the previous evening, she smells beer and smoke on his breath and Rowe gets a little taste of his own "jumping to conclusions" medicine. There are a lot of twists and turns to come before Rowe's fate is revealed and I'm loathe to give much more away, though I will tell you about a few more scenes one that genuinely made me laugh out loud and another that gave my ducts a bit of a blow out.

Screenwriter Tracy Garner plays Rowe's mother's somewhat low-brow lout of a live-in boyfriend Scotty - who becomes something of an outspoken obstacle to Rowe's efforts to teach his mother about the Gospel. When a pair of sister missionaries Rowe had arranged to come by to speak with his mother encounter the hostile, beer-swilling Scotty, it's all they can do to maintain their composure. After making a scene with wisecracks, a bit of sacrilege and some urban legend baloney about the Mormon Mafia, the missionaries have heard quite enough and finally leave in disgust in spite of Rowe's entreaties. The next morning, however, when it comes to Rowe's attention that his Mother has been the victim of Scotty's drunken temper, he indeed shows up with a makeshift Mormon mafia in tow. With a clever twist Garner spins this scene into gold and with the most subtle nuance of comic timing gets an uproarious belly laugh out of everyone in the audience.

Following this there is a heart-rending and nicely directed scene where at long last Rowe's mother confesses the truth about Rowe's real father. A single continuous shot from just outside a jeep in the rain, it is the film's emotional epicenter and is likely to produce some precipitation of the saltier variety. It not only gave my wife one of her famous migraines that only result from crying too hard during a movie, but it's the scene where Rowe begins to understand that, though he's been trying to do what he believes to be of the utmost importance, the way he's gone about it is all wrong - he's got his apple cart way out ahead of the horse.

As for the performances, they are solid right across the board. In a character study film such as this it's essential that the character arcs are well drawn. Working with Garner's very real and natural dialogue these actors all undergo their own personal transformations. Furthermore the film is so intimate and the characters so familiar that the audience comes right along for the journey.

Overall the film is very well executed, the narrative is clever and packs a universally sound message that will ring clear for people of all age groups and religious backgrounds. What's more Garner and Amundsen manage to tell this very compelling story without being in the least bit preachy or resorting to cheesy sentimentality. There are plenty of powerful moments, much food for thought, a well balanced mix of drama and comedy and a lovely, if not somewhat unconventional score. Most of all, I appreciated the realistic characterizations and his willingness to explore the problems associated with the church while never indicting the organization itself. With a deft touch the creators show the LDS religion in a very honest, while not unflattering light, and uses the film's characters to illustrate the one thing that all religions have in common - their leaders and members are only human and thus there will always be a gulf between their reach and their grasp. And how our best intentions can easily backfire unless they are accompanied by flexibility, patience and communication. I should also mention that the ending of the film is very satisfying. You'll leave the theater in an upbeat mood, with a head full of things to think about. Well done. I can't wait to see what this man will do next.