Truth, fiction, film

Re Marshall Herskovitz’s letter on Manohla Dargis’ piece on historical accuracy in films (Letters, Jan. 11): All fiction is not “lies.” One of the purposes of imaginative literature is to illuminate life, to tell truths. The films in question clearly aspire to such things. And politics and history are part and parcel of the stories they seek to tell. It’s the job of the critic to note when they come up short, as well as when they succeed. “Muddling through” these films is exactly the problem.

Matthew Woods

Mission Viejo