But contrary to his previous film where the Holocaust played a leading role, in "The Tiger and the Snow, " the war in Iraq seems little more than a distant backdrop.

NPR: Iraq War Is Backdrop for Latest Benigni Film

Everything about this anti-war film is geared for poignancy, from the snow-swept settings (the area around Park City, Utah, stands in for Europe) to the Christian symbolism.

NEWYORKER: A Midnight Clear

In New York we get a mayor who makes war on Big Gulp sodas while proving himself inept at basic government functions such as clearing snow.

WSJ: McGurn: Sandy and the Failures of Blue-Statism