In a 60s America torn apart by the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement, Seymour Levov, nicknamed the Swede, runs his father’s glove factory and is married to a former beauty queen named Dawn. But his perfect life falls apart when his daughter Merry, who has radical political opinions, is suspected of having set a bomb that killed a man. When Merry disappears without a trace, Seymour and Dawn find themselves at loose ends as he does everything he can to find her.

Picture gallery

Joining a long list of actors who become directors is Ewan McGregor, who adapts the eponymous novel by Philip Roth. A good choice: with striking assurance, McGregor tells a fascinating and intense story of a family torn apart by America, drawing a harsh and unsettling portrait of an explosive period. Naturally less dense than the book, which contained enough material to nourish a great epic work, American Pastoral makes you dream of a bigger, longer version, which could have done justice to all the facets of the story and its characters. As it stands, the movie offers superb performances by Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning. Although McGregor's first project is not entirely satisfactory, it is nonetheless a thrilling and heartbreaking film.