“This is War”
Posted by Phil Ewing on May 16th, 2008 filed in Uncategorized
The first screening of the day is the documentary “This is War” by director Gary Mortensen. It follows the deployment of a unit of Oregon National Guard soldiers to Iraq in early 2004. A handful of members of that unit are here at the screening.
It’s a pretty straightforward documentary — it consists of video shot by the soldiers at various points during their deployment, including on missions, as well as still photos and studio interviews.
The progression is linear: News of the deployment stirs mixed feelings among the young troops. The unit arrives in Kuwait full of anxiety and expectations. Their convoys set out for their post in Baghdad.
The timeline is set by events like the first ambush, first fatality, first raid. Throughout, the videos shot in Iraq show the troops alternating between goofiness and cynicism at their mission. “This place sucks” is a common refrain. The studio interviews aren’t nearly as negative, but it’s clear none of the soldiers really enjoy retelling their stories. The soldiers in the audience laughed at the antics of themselves and their buddies onscreen (more on that in a minute).
If you’ve deployed to Iraq, this documentary probably won’t show you a lot that you don’t already know. There are a few touching tributes, such as the story of a sergeant who cracked his pelvis and back trying to pull a platoonmate twice his size out of a blown-up Humvee.
This film isn’t a must-see for troops, but it’s definitely the kind troops have told me they wish the public would watch.
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