Restrepo (2010)

"Restrepo" is a documentary from Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger and it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Shortly after this film debuted, Hetherington was killed while filming another military documentary in Libya. This isn't at all surprising, as the filmmakers were clearly in very dangerous territory while making these front line battle films.The film consists of following the 2nd platoon, Battle Company in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. This was one of the most dangerous places any of the US military units could be at that time and the film chronicles the unit's action--including firefights, losses of troops in action and everyday activities. The name Restrepo, by the way, is the name of the company's camp--which was named after a member who lost his life in Afghanistan. Overall, it's an interesting film...but. I say BUT because there are other similar films which were made in Afghanistan in recent years. So, there's sort of a 'been there/done that' feel to the movie--though it is well made and I really respect the filmmakers for putting themselves in this place and for making a very tense film.

A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch! A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch! A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch! A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch! A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch!A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch!A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch!A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch!A must watch if you're into war documentaries! Not much else I can say. Must watch!

George Santayana said it best, and a documentary like this one drives home the point: those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Brainwashed by first-person shooter video games and living in a schizophrenic society like this one, the young men in RESTREPO are shown learning the lessons soldiers have learned throughout history (see my first sentence). I watched this one yesterday- not long after seeing a segment of DEMOCRACY NOW! about the Rolling Stone cover story, "The A-Team Killings." Like the COLLATERAL MURDER video, the article in question brings to light atrocities committed by American soldiers. In RESTREPO, we see naive young men, armed to the teeth, waging war against poor people who live in mud and stone homes with corrugated tin roofs held up by wooden support beams. They rarely express doubts about what they're doing (until they see firsthand the Reality of being on the receiving end) and they remind me of the young soldiers I used to ferry to and from nearby military bases. I would invariably ask these soldiers WHY they enlisted and I always got the same three answers: 1) It was a job that PAID. 2) It provided training for when they got out of the military. 3) They got to "drive tanks and kill some sand n-----s." AND: every single one of them said that George W. Bush was- and I quote-: "An a--hole." (An update, for those who care: Israel has already bombed Syria, despite Obama's attempt(s) at Diplomacy.)

The film as itself is very good. It contains scenes of actual fighting, which are not so often seen in documentaries. On the other hand, as a viewer one must start thinking about the conflict the film depicts. When you look at "the Dead cow scene", this is where the flow of my mind goes the other way. At first, I had sympathy for the soldiers in this film. Afterwards, when you see how they laugh at the man whose cow they have killed, and offer him "beans, rice and flour in the weight of the dead cow" as a compensation... Then you start thinking on what are those people looking for in Afghanistan, why are they not at home in the US? A very strong sentiment of rage goes through your body after wards.