"Woman in Gold" is a compelling tale of political obstinacy, one woman's quest to regain her birthright, and the lawyer who fought for her cause.

The story is not unfamiliar: The looting of priceless family treasures and art by the Nazis during World War II.It's a story that was told in "The Rape of Europa" (2006), a documentary about a 12-year period when art was looted and destroyed, often from wealthy Jewish families; "The Monuments Men" (2014), the George Clooney-directed fictional narrative based on a real-life Allied platoon tasked with rescuing art and returning it to its rightful owners, as well as "Stealing Klimt" (2007), the documentary about the Nazis' theft of five Klimt paintings from the Altmann family.What sets "Woman in Gold" apart and why it's this year's first Oscar contender is because it concentrates on one family's victimization by the Nazis, the daughter Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren, deserving of an Oscar actress nomination) who demanded the return of the art, and, perhaps most importantly, the artwork itself, that of the film's title, "Woman in Gold" (1907) by Gustav Klimt.The painting's actual title, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I," is more telling because the subject of the painting was none other than Altmann's aunt.Altmann fled Austria, eventually settling in Los Angeles where she ran a boutique.Altmann's attorney, E. Randol Schoenberg (a darn good Ryan Reynolds), attempts to take the Austrian government to court, only to fail before the Austrian art restitution board, but finally successfully suing Austria in the United States, with the case (Republic of Austria v. Altmann 541 U.S. 677) going all the way to the Supreme Court in 2004, setting a precedent for other such cases.You may know the outcome so this is no spoiler alert.What works so well in the film is how we see Klimt make the painting (yes, he painted in gold leaf), how we watch the then-young aunt (a transcendent Antje Traue, who has an uncanny resemblance to the original subject) pose for the painting, how we see the young Altmann (a superb Tatiana Maslany) interact with her father and mother and her boyfriend, and how we watch the elderly Altmann (Mirren) interact with Schoenberg (that the avant-garde composer was his great-grandfather provides nice depth and a neat substory).We also witness the growing Nazi oppression of Austrian Jews, which is chilling.Director Simon Curtis ("My Week With Marilyn," 2011) works from a screenplay by first-time screenwriter Alexi Kaye Campbell, who wrote the screenplay from the life stories of Schoenberg (who appeared in "The Rape of Europa," "Stealing Klimt" and "Adele's Wish") and Altmann (who was in "Stealing Klimt").Mirren is again magnificent. Reynolds is cooly compassionate.The cast is filled out nicely by Katie Holmes as Schoenberg's wife, Max Irons as the young Altmann's fiance, Elizabeth McGovern as a judge, Jonathan Pryce as a Supreme Court justice, and Daniel Brühl and Charles Dance.Oh, and by the way, that portrait, "Adele Boch-Bauer I," was purchased in 2006 by Ronald Lauder for $135 million, then the highest price paid for a painting. It can be seen in the Neue Galerie, New York City. Collectively, the five Klimts owned by Altmann fetched $327 million."Woman in Gold" is a powerful testament to perseverance. It symbolizes, as the screenplay states, "A moment in which the past is asking something of the present."Fortunately, Maria Altmann and E. Randol Schoenberg were there to answer."Woman in Gold," MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.) for some thematic elements and brief strong language; Genre: Drama, Biography; Run Time: 1 hr., 49 min.; Distributed by The Weinstein Company.Credit Readers Anonymous: "Woman in Gold" presents some important factual information about the story at the top of the end credits roll.Box Office, April 17: It gets curiouser and curiouser for "Furious 7" at No. 1 for a third week in a row, with $29 million, $294.4 million, three weeks, running laps around the Segway comedy, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2," opening at No. 2, with $24 million, and keeping "Unfriended" opening at No. 3, with $16 million;4. "Home," $10.3 million, $142.6 million, four weeks, 5. "The Longest Ride," $6.8 million, $23.5 million, two weeks: 6. "Get Hard," $4.8 million, $78.2 million, four weeks; 7. "The Monkey Kingdom," $4.7 million, opening; 8. "Woman in Gold," $4.5 million, $15.9 million, three weeks; 9. "The Divergent Series: Insurgent," $4.1 million, $120.6 million, five weeks; 10. "Cinderella," $3.8 million, $186.3 million, six weeksUnreel, April 24:"The Age of Adaline," PG-13: A turn-of-the-20th century young woman may cash in her immortality for the right guy. Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Amanda Crew and Harrison Ford star in the romantic-drama."Little Boy," PG-13: A boy wants to end World War II in order for his dad to come home. Kevin James, David Henrie, Emily Watson and Ted Levine star in the war drama."The Water Diviner," R: An Australian travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to find his missing sons. Russell Crowe, Jai Courtney, Isabel Lucas and Olga Kurylenko star in the war drama."Adult Beginners," R: An entrepreneur becomes a nanny after his company crashes and burns. Rose Byrne, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale and Joel McHale star in the comedy.Read Paul Willistein's movie reviews at the Lehigh Valley Press website, thelehighvalley-press.com; the Times News website, tnonline.com; and hear them on "Lehigh Valley Art Salon," 6-6:30 p.m. Mondays, WDIY 88.1 FM, wdiy.org, where the movie reviews are archived. Email Paul Willistein: pwillistein@ tnonline.com. Follow Paul Willistein on Twitter @PaulWillistein and friend Paul Willistein on Facebook.Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes