Back in 2001, I went to see “Black Hawk Down” with my friend Ben, who was home from the Army. The film, an on-the-ground account of the disastrous 1993 military raid in Mogadishu, Somalia, that ended in the deaths of 18 Americans, has its flaws, but Ben felt it captured the spirit of men in uniform. “That’s how it is,” he said, after the movie is over. “It’s about the men you’re with. That’s why you do what you do. Politics has nothing to do with it.”
At the time I didn’t really understand what Ben was talking about, but I thought of him while watching the new documentary “Restrepo,” which depicts one year at a remote, 15-man military outpost (named Restrepo, after a platoon medic who was killed in action) in Afghanistan’s dangerous Korengal Valley. The filmmakers, photographer Tim Hetherington and journalist Sebastian Junger (“The Perfect Storm), were embedded with the troops, and the film’s unforced intimacy reflects this. We see the men arrive and build their outpost under enemy fire, we see them visit local tribal leaders and try to sell them on the idea of helping the Americans, we see them lose a member of their platoon during a disastrous mission, and we see them in quieter moments, eating, talking and playing guitar. During the period from 2007 to 2008 when “Restrepo” was being filmed, the outpost accounted for 70 percent of the ordnance in Afghanistan, and a sense of danger pervades the entire film. So does camaraderie, determination and grit.
The goal of the film, according to Hetherington, who was present at a special screening of “Restrepo” that I attended Tuesday night at the New York State Museum, is to make viewers experience deployment in the most visceral way possible, from the point of view of the soldiers. As a result, there are no interviews with generals or military experts, though the film does include post-deployment interviews with soldiers featured in the film. These interviews are crucial, because they give us insight into what the soldiers think and feel — insight mostly lacking in the rushed, impressionistic and fragmented scenes of life in the Korengal Valley.
Hetherington and Junger maintain that the film is apolitical, and although this is a claim I rarely believe, they might be right. People who think the war in Afghanistan is a pointless waste are unlikely to change their opinion after watching “Restrepo,” although they might emerge with admiration for the men who served there, while people who think the war in Afghanistan has prevented additional terror attacks are also unlikely to change their opinion, although they might emerge with new questions about strategy.
The film’s most appreciative audience is likely to be soldiers, veterans and relatives, who, in the question-and-answer session following the film, thanked Hetherington and suggested that “Restrepo” captures essential truths about the military experience in a way few other films have. Also in attendance was Sgt. Brendan O’Byrne, one of the soldiers who appears in the film. He, too, seemed pleased with the film, although he acknowledged that certain scenes are too painful to watch.
I’m not sure why, but “Restrepo’s” use of hand-held, shaky cameras was almost too much for me — the film actually made me feel nauseous. But I didn’t notice throngs of people rushing for the door, so I’ll just assume I was the only person with this problem. In any case, “Restrepo” is disorienting and jarring and difficult to watch, especially if you’re susceptible to motion-sickness. But it also contains an authenticity few films can match.
“Restrepo” opens at the Spectrum in Albany on Friday.
To read an interview with Junger and Hetherington, click here.
To see some of Hetherington’s photos, click here.
MORE DOCUMENTARIES
I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries lately. Here are four more.
Into Great Silence — Like “Restrepo,” this 2005 documentary is also an immersive experience. Filmmaker Philip Groning spent six months living with the Carthusian monks of the Grand Chartreuse, a remote monastery in the French Alps where the monks are only permitted to speak during services and weekly walks.
Groning originally sought permission to film the monks in 1984, but they said they needed more time to think about it, and got back to him 16 years later. Groning filmed alone, using only natural light and sound, and captured some astonishing images of the monks’ daily routines. The film doesn’t include interviews, so viewers might be frustrated by the lack of insight into why someone might choose to live a life of prayerful solitude. Others will find the film beautiful, even meditative.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring” This 2004 Korean film is set on a tiny Buddhist monastery that floats on a raft, and tells the story of a young monk, and his mentor. Unlike “Into Great Silence,” it has a plot, and characters.
Billy the Kid — This entertaining 2007 documentary follows a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome living in Brunswick, Maine. The teenager, Billy, is likable and funny, and he had me from the moment he said, “I know I’m unique, but I don’t let it go to my head.” “Billy the Kid” is an entertaining journey with a kid who loves the band Kiss, his guitar and karate, and courts the girl he has a crush on at the local diner.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: “American Teen” This 2008 documentary follows five teenagers from Warsaw, Ind., during their senior year of high school. A little too slick, and a little too eager to evoke “The Breakfast Club,” but still a fairly compelling look at life at a contemporary American high school.
Mine — I expected this 2009 documentary, about the effect of Hurricane Katrina on the city’s pets, to be a schmaltzy tearjerker and I sort of dreaded watching it. “Who cares about the pets?” I thought. “What about the people?” Anyway, “Mine” is way more compelling than I expected it to be.
The first half of the film depicts New Orleans residents evacuating their homes as the storm approaches, and animal rescue agencies moving in after the storm. (One of the sadder images shows a resident being taken away from her house by boat, while a dog, stranded on the roof, is left behind.) The second half of the film, where we follow a handful of pet owners as they search for their dogs, is far more interesting. Some of the dogs have been adopted by new families, many of whom are reluctant to give up their new pets. (In some cases, pro bono attorneys get involved.)
By the end, “Mine” has evolved into something complex and moving, and has touched upon issues of race and class while also depicting the bond people have with their pets. Of course, you’re more likely to enjoy “Mine” if you own pets, as I do.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: “Trouble the Water” If you’re one of those people who’s more interested in how the people of New Orleans got through Katrina, this 2008 documentary follows a couple as they escape from their home and relocate, and also includes mesmerizing footage filmed by the couple as the waters rise.
“Two Laws” — In this 1981 documentary, the Borroloola Aborigines of remote northern Australia collaborate with professional filmmakers to tell the story of how life changed when European settlers moved to their country. The Aborigines re-enact and narrate the events of the past, describing their struggle to live under “two laws” — their own laws, and the laws imposed upon them by white settlers.
This is the rare documentary told from the point of view of the people that it’s about, and though the film occasionally plays like an anthropology thesis paper, it’s interesting and educational, a window into a different culture and way of life.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: “Walkabout” This excellent 1971 film, about an aboriginal boy (David Gulpilil) who helps an urban brother and sister whose father has abandoned them in the Australian outback, just came out on a new disc from the Criterion Collection. The 2002 film “The Tracker,” stars Gulpilil as an aboriginal tracker helping three white policeman search for a fugitive in the outback. Gulpilil also plays a tracker in the terrific 2002 film “Rabbit-Proof Fence,” about two aboriginal girls who escape from a white-run orphanage in the 1930s — part of an effort to integrate aboriginal children into Australian society — and attempt to make the 1,500-mile trek home.
Got a comment? E-mail me at sfoss@dailygazette.net.
