The Invisible Circus

By RICHARD SCHICKEL

In 1971 a young woman named Faith (Cameron Diaz) commits suicide in Portugal. In 1977, Phoebe, her younger sister (Jordana Brewster), sets out to discover why Faith, with so much to live for, suddenly embraced death. Faith's boyfriend (Christopher Eccleston) knows more than he's telling and doles out information with annoying reluctance. A counterculture tragedy--innocent hippie turns violent revolutionary--finally emerges. The film is too pretty and schematic, but it does envelop the viewer in rue for a wasted life.

--By Richard Schickel