Viewed in
2011
Formats
Netflix HD streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
A documentary chronicling a troop of U.S. soldiers deployed in Afghanistan in 2007.
Loved
The amazing footage.
Thoughts
What stood out the most for me was the absolutely surreal video. Not to make an essay out of whether our society is desensitized by violence, but as a person who's had a healthy dose of first-person shooters and war movies, watching the real deal felt... weird. The captured images of American soldiers fighting in the grittiest of conditions was indescribably compelling.
I am squeamish about realistic violence, so I was glad that the film did not show anything graphic during the intense, authentic gun battles. This helped me stay with the story without getting distracted by traumatic visuals. The R rating was simply for language.
Another helpful technique was the constant identifying of the soldiers. In uniform, they are naturally hard to distinguish, so no matter how often they appear, pretty much every person is identified with captions. This also kept me involved with the film without distractions of trying to remember who was who.
There was nothing subversive about this film, as its only agenda was to tell the story of these courageous young men. It objectively lets the footage and soldiers' interviews be frank about the ups and downs of their tour. They open up about the casualties, hardships and camaraderie while trying to keep a level head for over a year. The most haunting moments were when it came to fallen friends and their awareness of the impending difficulties of adjusting to post-war life.
Another fascinating aspect was the soldiers' strategies in walking the political tightrope in their region. They were problem solvers, educators, and diplomats, who dodged bullets on a daily basis. I was impressed by their knowledge, awareness and logic. Definitely a far cry from the stereotypical portrayal of dumb, scared boys blindly marching into something way over their heads.
Restrepo was incredible due to its surreal footage and its insight into the experience of an American soldier in an often-hostile environment. It was compelling and enlightening for me to get a glimpse of what they deal with in the current Afghanistan. Regardless of your views on war, we owe it to our fellow citizens to walk in their shoes, just for 90 minutes.
What I would change
Balanced out the volume levels, the fights were too loud in contrast to the interviews.
