“Gladiator II” is the highly-anticipated, 20-years-in-the-making sequel to 2000’s “Gladiator.” Ridley Scott brings the heat with bigger battles, rabid CGI animals and the flawless casting of Denzel Washington as the film’s lead antagonist. While earlier scripts had Russell Crowe’s Maximus fighting through the underworld to reclaim his life, this sequel includes only a few flashback clips of the original protagonist. Maximus’ bold presence is instead filled by Lucius (Paul Mescal), Lucilla’s (Connie Nielsen) son from the first film. Unlike Maximus, general of the vast Roman army and an established leader from the get-go, Lucius commands his village’s small artillery that tries to fend off the Roman ships.

Retrospection is a double-edged sword; opening oneself up to the past, what was lost and what wasn’t said can change a person. The power of love cracks a person open and spills out all the best and worst...

With just her first feature-length film, Charlotte Wells tells a beautiful and haunting story that portrays grief in an open and human way.