Velma gets PTSD, as Scooby Doo 's Linda Cardellini plays Kelli, a National Guard soldier readjusting to civvie life in Liza Johnson’s downbeat but dead-on directorial debut.
Impulsively quitting her blue-collar job is just the first sign that she’s unable to cope, as Johnson skilfully avoids clichés by quietly building below-the-surface psychological tension.
Reversing his Take Shelter role, Michael Shannon convinces as her grounded husband and Mad Men ’s John Slattery offers good support as a fellow vet. But this is Cardellini’s film, and she dominates with a terrific, tough-minded turn.
