First aired on NBC in 2003, WAR STORIES is a drama that depicts the vagaries of existence as a war correspondent. Positing the outbreak of a civil war in Uzbekistan between a repressive government and a brutal Islamic insurgency, the portrait painted is nuanced, compassionate, and refreshingly complex. Nora (Lake Bell) is a green young photographer assigned as a partner to journalist Ben (Jeff Goldblum, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU), who recently lost his former photographer in a gruesome mine explosion. Still haunted by the memory, Ben is reluctant to befriend the newcomer, and is even more put off by her inexperience, adopting an attitude of acerbic superiority. They are joined in the field by Gayle (Louise Lombard, HIDALGO) and Ian (Jeffrey Nordling), and the audience is immediately acquainted with each character's individual insecurities, quirks, and methods of dealing with the uncertainties and stresses of their volatile situation. When one of Nora's photographs displays some surprising information, the scoop turns into a search for truth in the manner of an espionage thriller. However, the film keeps sight of its purpose, portraying the gritty realities of modern war in stark, believable tones.