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]