Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tunenut (A) on August 30, 2010 at 13:39:09

I saw this movie about a week ago. It may not be the "best" movie of 2010, but it has proven to be the most thought provoking for me.

It is a simple documentary. Sebastian Junger is embedded in an Army platoon during their deployment to the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan. Surrounded by high mountains, bordering Pakistan, this was considered at the time the most dangerous place in the world for an American soldier.

They have daily firefights. There are casualties on both sides. Obvious enemies are killed, while children also die. The elders, with red-dyed beards and very bad teeth, sit enigmatically listening to the young soldiers talk. The soldiers are there to provide security for the building of a road, and they tell the elders this road will bring in money and progress.

The soldiers are young, strong, well-equipped, and prepared to do their job and accept the risk involved. Their sacrifices are great and some of them are killed.

And, in the end, one is left with questions. What will count as success in this strange alien land? Even if the bar is set low, is anything resembling success even possible? Or is one platoon too small to draw any conclusions- after all a similar documentary could probably be made about some platoon during any war.