Angelina Jolie, actress, director, humanitarian and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, has a filmography that deserves a second take. Admittedly, the much-hyped film Unbroken (2014), based on the book by Elin Hillenbrand, was a flop at the box office, but that's not the only film Jolie has directed. In the Land of Blood and Honey—a film Jolie wrote and directed that deftly captures the Bosnian war during the early 1990s—seems to have been forgotten. Here are five films I feel have been a bit overshadowed by Jolie's popular performance as Maleficent, not to mention her unique personal life.
By the Sea: Starring Jolie and ex-husband Brad Pitt, this film, ironically, portrays the falling out of a marriage of 14 years. Both husband and wife fall prey to narcissism, addiction and a nihilism soaked in luxury, all amid the backdrop of a sunbathed Malta.
Changeling: Offering a breathtaking performance by Jolie as bereaved mother, Clint Eastwood takes the reigns as the director of this noir crime story that chronicles the disturbing true life events of the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders in Mira Lorna, Calif., culminating in a thoughtful commentary on corruption.
Girl, Interrupted is arguably Jolie's most famous film, and it won her an Oscar in 1999. With the collective conscious now more aware of mental health issues, this film, is due for a review. Based on a 1993 novel by Susanna Kaysen, this film also takes us back to the climate of the 1960s.
A Mighty Heart re-creates the terrible circumstances leading to the death of the Wall Street Journal's Daniel Pearl during his stint in Pakistan in 2002. Jolie plays Daniel's wife, Mariane, illustrating how she and her family, friends and fellow writers came together around the tragedy, desperately working for Pearl's justice. The film is adapted from Mariane Pearl's book by the same name.
The Tourist is an entertaining, quirky story featuring two characters who meet and play with each other's, well, sexual appetites while away from home on vacation. This sleek, glossy movie is a pleasure to watch for all its thrills, chills and mysterious games.
For more on Angelina Jolie, check out her book Notes From My Travels: Visits With Refugees in Africa, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Ecuador.
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