The Invisible Circus

Determined to get to the bottom of her happy hippie sister's inexplicable suicide, a wistful teenager (Jordana Brewster) travels to Europe in 1977 with a fist full of postcards to help her trace her older sibling's final days seven years before. Brewster, in a superb performance, is quietly intelligent and intensely reflective, eventually tracking down her sister's charming, free-spirited lover (Christopher Eccleston)--now a somber, shorn and crisply dressed gentleman--hoping for his help. But his story might only shatter the girl's memories, which would add even more to her confusion since she's already falling into an affair with him. Structural flaws (an entire reel follows the sister--Cameron Diaz--through a flashback neither primary character witnessed) destabilize the framework of the plot and the '60s mystique of these scenes is a tad too orderly and prefabricated to be entirely credible. But the performances are emotionally truthful, and Brewster's spiritual journey feels remarkably, refreshingly personal. A strong optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)