War Tapes, The
Rating = A
Soldiers in the New Hampshire
National Guard were given video cameras to carry with them during a one
year deployment in Iraq. The final film focuses on the video footage
of three of these soldiers and their lives and the lives of their
families at home immediately before, during, and after their deployment
(there is also footage from other solders in the unit). The film shows
the complexity of war and the people (all men in this film) who fight
it — each of the three men sees his participation and the justification
for the war differently. The film makes no explicit judgements about
the war. However, the uncertainty the men seem to have about what they
are fighting for seems indicative to me of some lack of clarity at a
much higher level in the military hierarchy. Most of all this
film shows an authenticity one seldom sees in a movie.
[2006-11-11]