He’s gone to Pandora. He’s gone on a ledge. Now, Sam Worthington is in a new kind of battle in this emotional drama from co-star, writer, and director Matt Nable.

Ryan Logan was a soldier who nearly sacrified his life after a mission almost left him killed. Returning home after the war, he has trouble looking for work, but is supported by his wife Justine, who is pregnant with their second child. While attending a soldier support group, Ryan gets a horrifying shock when he learns that Justine and the unborn child have been killed in a car accident, which also leaves his son Billy wounded. Billy does survive and now Ryan has been forced to raise him on his own.

Seven years have passed and Ryan finds himself in a serious dilemma. Billy, now sixteen, has been getting intro serious trouble with the law and on top of that, Ryan can’t afford to have him in a private school. Ryan makes the decision to move back to his hometown to start a new life. Finding a job as a sales representative, Billy makes some friends at his new school. However, Ryan still struggles to make ends meet and upon reuniting with his former commanding officer Johnny, he is given a proposition that could make or break him forever.

Writer/director Matt Nable, who many will know for his role of Ra’s Al-Ghul in TV’s DC Universe, aka the Arrowverse, has come up with an emotional drama that is a character study about how far one man is willing to go to make ends meet for him and his son. Drawing from his past experiences as an influence in the story, Nable successfully brings out some exciting performances from his cast.

Sam Worthington, enjoying the success of the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, returns home and is great as Ryan, our protagonist who suffers a double blow. First, he is stricken with post traumatic stress disorder after his near-fatal shot in war. Then, his wife is killed in a car accident, which leads him to struggle while raising his son. We see Ryan’s moral compass get the best of him when he is given a chance to make some money to make ends meet, but not in a legal sort of way.

Nable himself takes on the role of Johnny, Ryan’s former commanding officer who has since become a criminal. On the surface, it is clear that Johnny is clearly a bad man. However, under the surface, Johnny and Ryan are similar in that they have to do what it takes to survive after going through war. However, it is the methods that they take that make them apart from each other.

Phoebe Tonkin’s Justine is killed early in the film, but she still makes an impact serving as Ryan’s moral conscience when it comes to his decision making as it pertains to their son Billy. Edward Carmody has a career ahead of him because he breaks out as the troubled teen son, who along with his father, begins to find peace when he meets some friends at his new school. He still feels a bit conflicted when it comes to his relationship with Ryan, but when it boils down to it, nothing is closer than family.

Transfusion may look like you’re expecting an action film, but it is far from it. It’s a great character study of what war veterans may have to go through when they are no longer in battle and in their minds, have to face the battle of reality.

WFG RATING: B+

Lionsgate and Saban Films present a STAN Original Film in association with Madman Entertainment, Deeper Water Films, and Ingenious Films. Director: Matt Nable. Producers: John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz. Writer: Matt Nable. Cinematography: Shelley Farthing-Dawe. Editing: Jonathan Tappin.

Cast: Sam Worthington, Matt Nable, Phoebe Tonkin, Edward Carmody, Jessica Napier, Susie Porter, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor.

The film will play in select theaters, On Demand, and Digital on March 3.