User Reviews

I saw this film at the Port Townsend Film Festival in September 2006. It was the last film I saw, and because I had seen so much, I almost didn't stay for it. I am so glad I saw this film, because it opened my eyes and my heart to the soldiers who are serving in Iraq. The film does an amazing job of enabling the viewer to get to know the soldiers, to understand what many of them go through over there and upon their return to "normal" life -- and to separate those feelings of empathy from our feelings about the legitimacy of the war -- or otherwise. I was lucky enough to see a Q&A after the film with one of the marines who had been featured in the film. Hearing the follow-up on his experiences added even more to the experience of seeing the film. The live footage, audio and video, as well as the personal stills taken by soldiers, were moving and harrowing. One piece of video footage toward the end of the film did more for my understanding of the actual experience of combat than any dramatic piece I've seen -- including those "realistic" dramatic pieces such as Saving Private Ryan or Platoon. I recommend this film.