Director: Danfung Dennis
Starring: Nathan &
Ashley Harris, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines
Most of the synopses I read
about the Oscar nominated war documentary “Hell and Back Again” read some thing
like, “a film about a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who returns
from the Afghanistan conflict with post traumatic stress disorder.” The only
place I could actually find the name of the soldier, Nathan Harris, was the
film’s website. Unfortunately, this is reflective of our country’s attitude
toward our men in combat right now. We appreciate what they’re doing, but we
don’t really care to know much about it.
This wholly original
documentary shows us what Nathan did in Afghanistan and his life back in the
States since suffering a crippling injury in the final days of his deployment.
There are combat scenes in Afghanistan that show the chaos and confusion of a
firefight. There are also scenes that depict the soldiers trying to establish
relationships with the local Afghan citizens. They try to assure the Afghans
that they are not there to hurt any innocents and that cooperation is necessary
to success against the Taliban. The Afghan’s have the apprehension that you or
I would if soldiers had invaded our neighborhoods and tried to tell us they
didn’t want to hurt us. They also have a sense of helplessness about them
because they never asked for any of this.
Harris’s story back home is
intercut with the Afghanistan footage. He suggests that for him life was much
easier in Afghanistan. The way director Danfung Dennis edits the two different
worlds together; you can understand what Harris means. Harris’s life at home
made me think only one thing—this couldn’t have been worth it for him. He lives
in constant pain from his injuries and the metal rods holding his leg together.
His wife loves him, but her reserved nature suggests she lives in fear quite
similar to the Afghans’. The U.S. conflict in Afghanistan has taken much from
the Harris’s lives as well.
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