I have just seen one of the most compelling examples of film making that i have ever encountered.
The film is entitled Restrepo.
"...directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British photographer Tim Hetherington. The film explores the year (15 months actually - in 2007) that Junger and Hetherington spent in Afghanistan on assignment for Vanity Fair, embedded with the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in the Korangal valley."
It is currently in limited released in the US.
The film is named after PFC Juan S. Restrepo, the platoon medic who was killed early in the deployment. 2nd PLT subsequently occupies and builds (in the face of constant Taleban attack) a combat outpost which is also named Restrepo.
The film is complete lacking in any kind of commentary (political or otherwise) and is simply a record of the experiences and feelings of the men of 2nd PLT.
One warning - While there are no particularly bloody or graphically violent scenes in the film (though death of one soldier does occur in the movie), as a combat vet myself, I found parts of the film a little hard to watch.
Anyone who is interested in seeming exactly what Coaltion Forces are experiencing in Afghanistan (short of enlisting and getting deployed) should watch this film!
It recently received the 2010 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
A trailer and clips can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RestrepoTheMovie
The accompanying article in Vanity Fair can be read here: Into the Valley of Death | Politics | Vanity Fair
Staff Sergeant Adrian Gunn
The film is entitled Restrepo.
"...directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British photographer Tim Hetherington. The film explores the year (15 months actually - in 2007) that Junger and Hetherington spent in Afghanistan on assignment for Vanity Fair, embedded with the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in the Korangal valley."
It is currently in limited released in the US.
The film is named after PFC Juan S. Restrepo, the platoon medic who was killed early in the deployment. 2nd PLT subsequently occupies and builds (in the face of constant Taleban attack) a combat outpost which is also named Restrepo.
The film is complete lacking in any kind of commentary (political or otherwise) and is simply a record of the experiences and feelings of the men of 2nd PLT.
One warning - While there are no particularly bloody or graphically violent scenes in the film (though death of one soldier does occur in the movie), as a combat vet myself, I found parts of the film a little hard to watch.
Anyone who is interested in seeming exactly what Coaltion Forces are experiencing in Afghanistan (short of enlisting and getting deployed) should watch this film!
It recently received the 2010 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
A trailer and clips can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RestrepoTheMovie
The accompanying article in Vanity Fair can be read here: Into the Valley of Death | Politics | Vanity Fair
Staff Sergeant Adrian Gunn