I'll admit, my knowledge on the U.S. military (and most other militaries for that matter) is rather lacking. After watching the film, I can say that Restrepo does a wonderful job of humanizing these soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. It does this especially well in how it shows the grief the soldiers go through, how it affects them, and how they have to cope with it in order to continue the fight. To me, some of the most moving scenes are when one soldier is being recounting his experiences and just then just blanks out for a few moments, saying that "I need a time out". Another moment is when the soldiers talk about how they had felt terrible about the civilian deaths from Rock Avalanche. Another is when one soldier just breaks down in the battlefield after the death of Sergeant Rougle. Another sad thing is just how they apparently have it so bad that there has to be new research into PTSD and other conditions because of how long it's been since was a war like this.
The moment where the soldier says that he needs a time out was the breaking point for me in the film as well. That was when I really understood how these men felt.
ReplyDeleteI too was not well informed on modern warfare. Seeing the conditions in which the soldiers fought brought a new light to the war for me. There experiences are unimaginable. I found it particularly interesting when they showed the scene of the men cheering each other on and rejoicing when they killed a man as if it was a game. However insensitive theres actions may seem, it was necessary for them to detach themselves in such a way to get through it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion of the filmmakers' success in humanizing the soldiers. The lighting technique in the interviews is specifically telling. They used warm, flat, direct light to illuminate every pore and every flaw in the soldiers' faces. That took them out of the fancy, studio setting of cinema and brought them to a human level.
ReplyDeleteWatching them recount their experiences was the hard part for me as well. PTSD is a huge issue surrounding war right now, and although it isn't stated outright in Restrepo, it's an obvious issue. I'm glad you pointed that out.
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