**SPOILERS** The film "Day Zero" takes place in the not so very distant future with the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan spilling over their borders and turning into a major regional war in the both Middle and Far East. With the President and Congress having reinstated the military draft that's been dormant since 1973 tens of millions of young Amercans, from 18 to 35 years old, are now in danger of being called up by their government to fight this widening conflict.
The movie revolves around the lives of three friends and former high school classmates now having received notices from their local draft boards to report within 30 days to be inducted into the armed services. The three starting with cab driver James Nixon, Jon Bernthal, are anything but excited in fighting a war that they, for the most part, what to have nothing to do with.
Aaon Feller, Elijah Wood, has been seeing a psychiatrist Dr. Reynolds, Alley Sheedy, for some seven years about his very deep sense of insecurity in both his personal and, Aaron is a writer, professional life. Aaron and James friend George Rifkin, Chris Klein, is a successful corporate lawyer and has a wife Molly,Jennifer Goodwin, recovering from a five year battle with cancer. All George needs now is to be separated from both his high paying job and ill, but recovering, wife for a two year stint in the hot dangerous and bloody Middle or Far East.
The film has the three friends try to come to grips with what their facing with James more or less deciding to get drafted. Being out on the streets of New York City driving a cab is good training, in the dangers he runs into, for James in being a combat infantry man. Aaron who's terrified of everything in life due to his acute insecurity is now on the verge of doing something really stupid to prevent himself from getting drafted.
***SPOILER ALERT***It's in the end that Aaron after trying to make up for all the things he missed in life, like becoming a skinhead and getting heavily tattooed like an outlaw biker, does in fact get himself out from being drafted. Aaron does that by making himself totally useless to serve in the US Military or anywhere else. Gerore for his part is going through a life changing experience going from suicidal to finally accepting his fate, being drafted. George soon realized that running away from his responsibility as an American citizen while his good friend James doesn't will only come back to haunt him in the future.
The first Hollywood movie that finally confronts what's been happening in the world since the attacks of September 11, 2001 in how it effects everyone in the US, not just those in the volunteer US Military, in putting their butts on the line in fighting for their country.
The film "Day Zero" to its credit doesn't go into the political aspects of the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Were not battered over the head In if their worth fighting or dying for. The film focus only on the social aspects of serving one's country in times of war regardless of the political underpinning, good or bad, that those in power have in calling for armed conflict against a foreign power.
****SPOILERS****The movie ends with a massive on location antiwar demonstration in New York City that actually took place on April 29, 2006 with both George and James as well as the by now mentally disturbed Aaron participating in it. That would be the last day they would have the chance to show what they feel about the war that they soon will be obligated to fight as members of the US Armed Forces.
The movie revolves around the lives of three friends and former high school classmates now having received notices from their local draft boards to report within 30 days to be inducted into the armed services. The three starting with cab driver James Nixon, Jon Bernthal, are anything but excited in fighting a war that they, for the most part, what to have nothing to do with.
Aaon Feller, Elijah Wood, has been seeing a psychiatrist Dr. Reynolds, Alley Sheedy, for some seven years about his very deep sense of insecurity in both his personal and, Aaron is a writer, professional life. Aaron and James friend George Rifkin, Chris Klein, is a successful corporate lawyer and has a wife Molly,Jennifer Goodwin, recovering from a five year battle with cancer. All George needs now is to be separated from both his high paying job and ill, but recovering, wife for a two year stint in the hot dangerous and bloody Middle or Far East.
The film has the three friends try to come to grips with what their facing with James more or less deciding to get drafted. Being out on the streets of New York City driving a cab is good training, in the dangers he runs into, for James in being a combat infantry man. Aaron who's terrified of everything in life due to his acute insecurity is now on the verge of doing something really stupid to prevent himself from getting drafted.
***SPOILER ALERT***It's in the end that Aaron after trying to make up for all the things he missed in life, like becoming a skinhead and getting heavily tattooed like an outlaw biker, does in fact get himself out from being drafted. Aaron does that by making himself totally useless to serve in the US Military or anywhere else. Gerore for his part is going through a life changing experience going from suicidal to finally accepting his fate, being drafted. George soon realized that running away from his responsibility as an American citizen while his good friend James doesn't will only come back to haunt him in the future.
The first Hollywood movie that finally confronts what's been happening in the world since the attacks of September 11, 2001 in how it effects everyone in the US, not just those in the volunteer US Military, in putting their butts on the line in fighting for their country.
The film "Day Zero" to its credit doesn't go into the political aspects of the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Were not battered over the head In if their worth fighting or dying for. The film focus only on the social aspects of serving one's country in times of war regardless of the political underpinning, good or bad, that those in power have in calling for armed conflict against a foreign power.
****SPOILERS****The movie ends with a massive on location antiwar demonstration in New York City that actually took place on April 29, 2006 with both George and James as well as the by now mentally disturbed Aaron participating in it. That would be the last day they would have the chance to show what they feel about the war that they soon will be obligated to fight as members of the US Armed Forces.