Richard Linklater is a slice-of-life filmmaker, each movie an intimate American story. His Oscar-nominated Boyhood may have been his most ambitious effort (though some would argue his Before Trilogy is even more so), yet even his broad comedies all have a sincere, reflective, even gentle subtext. Linklater’s latest is Last Flag Flying. Although he broaches new territory here (veterans, and war), this ensemble road trip looks to come from a very personal place, expressed through humor and humanity. It’s about three aging vets (Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell, and Laurence Fishburne) who reunite after one of their sons has died while serving in Iraq. It will obviously touch on the existential despair that many feel about our post-9/11 military efforts, but this looks to be less of a soapbox and more of a human journey, which is exactly what a Linklater film always is. Co-starring Cicely Tyson and J. Quinton Johnson (of Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!!), and based on the novel by co-screenwriter Darryl Ponicsan,  Last Flag Flying premieres in late September at the New York Film Festival, then opens in theaters on November 3, 2017.