And this season even the television show Homeland took the opportunity to address, through the wife of a former prisoner of war, the totally unanticipated emotional consequences resulting from the trauma that combat veterans bring back from the field.

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Both "The Tree of Life" (2011), a magnificently transcendent view of a Texas family, and "To the Wonder, " now in theaters, which follows an unhappy couple and an anguished priest, show the consequences of even the smallest act of emotional or physical violence.

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Ms Cheema said Mrs Khan had then chosen to "spill the beans" about her husband and, in her "emotional state", had given no thought to the consequences for herself of talking to police, believing officers would believe the "dutiful wife who had pointed the finger".

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The options they take have lasting consequences and many reviewers have noted its success at eliciting strong emotional reactions from players to some of the characters' fates.

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This time, though, with supple direction and a character of exceptional variety, Ms. Rooney is impressive in her range, and commendable for her subtlety, whether Emily is struggling to find her emotional core or, having found it, is coping with the unintended consequences of her cure.

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That decision seems to be a knee-jerk reaction based on an emotional response to the spill, and made without a full appreciation of the consequences which will adversely impact tens of thousands of hard working people who are engaged in the industry.

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