Sling Blade

Billy Bob Thornton's 1996 film follows a man who returns home after years in institutional care. He killed someone as a child. He becomes friends with a boy. The film delays its violence; the narrative makes the tension between kindness and the past its real subject. The director leads as well and won an Academy Award for the screenplay. It was developed from his own short. It was shot in Arkansas. Who it's for: those who like spare, heavy character drama. Who it's not for: viewers troubled by domestic violence and sudden killing; the film shows both directly.