ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

PTSD

Dakota: Love, Loss and Heroes

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Set on a small town family farm in the American South, Dakota tells the story of single mom Kate (Abbie Cornish) and her daughter Alex (Lola Sultan). Grieving the loss of her military husband, Kate is surprised one day when CJ (Tim Rozon) arrives with Dakota, an ex-military dog who served with her husband on the field. As they process their complicated feelings, the farm’s existence becomes threatened by the town’s maniacal sheriff and the family must come together in order to save it.

Directed by Kirk Harris, Dakota is a light-hearted family drama with some serious undertones. Though the film’s warm sensibilities make it enjoyable family fare, it’s conversations about the traumas of war add a layer of importance that one doesn’t always see in this style of film. Admittedly, similarities with Channing Tatum’s recent drama Dog are noteworthy due to the fact that both films deal with the effects of PTSD for those in the military and in their service animals. However, Dakota’s loving tone and heart sets it apart and gives it its own unique voice.

Interestingly, the film’s narrative seems to shift through multiple events with very little through line. However, in doing so, the film takes on an almost episodic style to its storytelling with each adventure building upon the next in ways that supports the overall theme. By allowing the film to eb and flow in numerous directions, Harris manages to put the emphasis on Dakota herself. In each story, the lovable canine makes an impact wherever she goes, highlighting her courage or the hope that she sparks within the family itself.

As a result, Dakota is very much a film that wants to honour heroes. While the military focus is held firmly in view, this is also a story which puts an emphasis on Frontline workers such as firefighters and police and highlights the courage that it takes to do what is right for the sake of others. (Although it’s also worth noting that the key storyline involving Sheriff Muldoon also points to the damage that can be done when power corrupts the systems designed to protect us.) There is danger in each of these positions and the emotional effects are very real. Whether it’s fear of entering the flames or the damage left from the field of battle, psychological trauma can affect everyone in different ways. 

With that in mind, Dakota is also a piece about what it takes to move forward as many of these characters in processing their own challenges that must be overcome. CJ struggles with guilt from the sacrifices made during the war. Kate and Alex remain saddled with grief over the loss of their husband and father. Even Dakota herself struggles with nightmares from her experiences on the field of battle. In this way, the film is willing to journey with its characters as they attempt to relearn what it means to live.

In this way, Dakota leans heavily into the restorative power of community. As Kate, Alex and CJ begin to open up about their struggles the love and support that they experience from one another begins to give space for healing and hope. (Of course, it also helps when you’ve got an adorable pup that offers unconditional support as well.) 

With charm and grace, Dakota warms the heart with its message of love and hope. However, it’s the space for conversations surrounding trauma that makes it rare. Though the tone of the film never gets too dark, it still manages to shine light on the lives of those who are hurting and show how difficult it can be to teach an old dog new tricks.

Dakota is available on VOD on Tuesday, May 24th, 2022.

Reflection – War and aftermath

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Valentyn Vasyanovych’s Reflection is a look at war and its aftermath. The film is part of Film Movement’s Ukrainian Film Collection being released in theaters. These films give us insight into the country and culture that has become such an important part of world affairs. Ten percent of the gross ticket sales of the collection will be donated to Ukraine Crisis Fund, administered by Americares.

While it may seem that the Russo-Ukraine war is very recent, this film takes place in the first year of the war, 2014. At that point, the fighting was limited to the eastern part of Ukraine. In the first scene of the film, we see two men at a girl’s birthday party. They are the girl’s father and step-father. The two talk about the war. The step-father, Andriy, is a soldier who has been to the front. The father, Serhiy, is a surgeon who is dealing with war injuries that overflow the military hospitals. Then we see the children at the party take part in a paintball battle. This is clearly meant to disturb us with such play happening in the midst of real war. Soon Serhiy is also at the front, where he is taken prisoner. In the prison, he experiences torture by the Russian commander. He also witnesses Andriy being tortured to death.

At the midpoint of the film, Serhiy is returned home as part of a prisoner exchange. This is an abrupt change in focus. Instead of seeing the horrors of war, we now return to the (then) more peaceful world of Kyiv, where children play in the snow. Serhiy’s ex-wife is worried because there has been no news of Andriy. Serhiy is trying to readjust to civilian life and deal with his PTSD.

One day when his daughter is staying with him, a bird flies into the apartment window and is killed. This event leads to some interesting discussions about death, the soul, the body, and afterlife. These are concepts that are just now becoming real for the ten year old daughter. For Serhiy, the concepts have a much different meaning. In a sense, he has already come through death (and perhaps a bit of Hell). Some of the conversations that Serhiy has with his daughter about the dead bird could just as well have been about Andriy.

Vasyanovych has designed each scene to be framed in such a way that we are drawn to watch. Even when horrific things are happening, we are unable to avert our eyes. He also makes each scene uncomfortably long, not letting us move on too quickly to something else. Even in the few scenes that are not done without a static camera, the framing keeps us centered on what is happening. Part of the director’s goal is to make us see the terrible things that happen in war. He also wants us to know that the aftermath of war can have its own harrowing effects, not just on those who are in the war, but the people they love as well.

There were times as I watched that I had a sense of sorrow, especially seeing Kyiv as a peaceful, happy city filled with life. That time is gone for Kyiv. As we watch now, we know that much of what we see has probably been destroyed or damaged by more recent fighting.

This is a film not so much about the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people as about the suffering that the war has brought to them—and is bringing yet again. The wounds to the souls of soldiers and ten year old girls continue to cry out for healing.

Reflection is playing in select theaters.

Photos courtesy of Film Movement.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Battle Scars and Bank Loans

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Next one up.

With seven series and five films (!) on tap for 2021, it’s fair to say that Marvel wants to keep their schedule moving along. As a result, even though we’re only two weeks out from the finale of WandaVision (don’t you kind of miss Agatha already?), the House that Stan Lee Built has already moved on to their latest Disney+ entry with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a series which explores what it means to be a hero when you’re stuck living in the shadow of another legend.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame. (With no direct ties to WandaVision, there’s no obvious indication from the series where they fall in the timeline with one another.) Living from military contract to contract, Sam ‘The Falcon’ Wilson (Antony Mackie) has passed on the opportunity to take on the mantle of Captain America, opting instead to go home and help his sister deal with their family’s fishing business. Meanwhile, Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) continues to live a life of solitude as he attempts to make amends for his past crimes. However, as a new evil lurks in the shadows, Sam and Bucky must work together to expose their plan and save the world once again.

With the global success of WandaVision and today’s release of the first episode of Falcon, Marvel (and Disney) have seamlessly moved from an (almost) exclusively MCU to the M-TV-U. But, so far at least, the most unexpected element has been the quality of the series thus far.

In some ways, it should not a shock that the Marvel product has been translating so well onto the small screen. While the MCU is known for its big budget special effects and larger than life battle sequence, the material has never forgotten its roots in comic books and long-form storytelling. (Besides, what is the Marvel Cinematic Universe if not the modern equivalent of the Saturday morning serials with a larger budget?) 

Even so, it does come as a bit startling how patient Marvel has been with their storytelling with this new venture into television. For example, in WandaVision, it wasn’t until the 3rd or 4th episode before the Marvel connections really began to take shape. With Falcon, Marvel again shows their confidence in their storytelling (and their fan base) by adopting this patient approach. Though this series will ultimately be only six episodes long, the introduction to the series primarily focuses on the challenges in the lives of our two protagonists. (Seriously, when did you ever think you’d see an Avenger struggle to get a bank loan? Doesn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. take care of their own?) While the series opens with a solid action scene, the rest of the episode focuses almost exclusively on character development, grappling with issues of PTSD and systemic racism.

It instantly impressed me.

Marvel has always been at its most interesting when they take risks. Whereas WandaVision leaned in exclusively into television history, Falcon (so far) seems committed to telling a story that focuses on what happens when the war [seems to be] over. With Sam working from contract to contract and Bucky grappling with the sins of his past, the two men are attempting to reintegrate their lives with everyone else. Though known as heroes for their time with the Avengers, they are now struggling to get by. Whether it’s trying to pay the bills or simply living with extreme anxiety, both Sam and Bucky are coming to grips with life after the shield. 

Now, of course, we know that the story is not going to end there. Teases of a new evil organization point to a more traditional MCU series of large-scale military battles on the horizon. But, for now at least, their greatest battle is understanding the legacy they leave behind. In this way, Sam’s story feels the most relevant. After having passed on the mantle of Captain America, he’s wrestling with his own worthiness as a hero and the missed opportunity to follow in the footsteps of an American icon. Sam understands that the world ‘needs a new hero [that’s] suited for the times we’re in.’ But he doesn’t believe that he can be that person…yet, anyways. (Certainly, the prospect of an African American lead taking on the role of Captain America would be an important opportunity that Disney needs to take—but that remains to be seen at this time.) For Sam (and Bucky as well), the mantle of ‘hero’ simply feels overwhelming. They know who they are and what they’ve done and, because of it, the standard of heroism simply feels too high for them to apply. 

While I’m certain that, eventually, the men will reconcile their past with their role as heroes, it is always interesting when Marvel challenges their characters emotionally. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there is a recognition that the mantle of responsibility must be taken seriously. At the same time though, the series also hints at the fact that all leaders are imperfect at some level, meaning true worthiness stems from some other aspect of their character.

But we’ll have to wait for the show to unravel to tell us what that is.

The first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney+ on Friday, March 18th, 2021, with new episodes every Friday.

Two Ways Home – Mending the Past

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“No matter how rocky and dry the soil, there’s a chance for life.”

Ron Vignone’s Two Ways Home has won a slew of awards at various festivals around the country. It is a story of broken people and broken relationships. It is also a story of healing and new life.

Kathy (Tanna Frederick, who also produced) has just been released from prison and treatment for a recently diagnosed bi-polar disorder. She returns to her home in rural Iowa, hoping to live with her grandfather Walter (Tom Bower) on his small pig farm. But Walter is in a convalescent home following a heart attack. After some time with her parents (who would like to have Walter declared incompetent to get power of attorney), Kathy begins to clean up Walter’s house so he can come home where she will take care of him.

Kathy’s tweener daughter Cori (Rylie Behr) is resentful of Kathy’s absence the last several years. As Kathy tries to mend that relationship she is encouraged by her ex, Junior (Joel West). Step by step Kathy begins to make progress.

But it turns out that Walter isn’t as whole as he seems. He can be a bit mercurial, blowing up at Kathy when he returns home for redoing his house and throwing out his flea-ridden favorite chair. We also learn that he suffers from untreated PTSD from when he was in the Army. He needs to heal both physically and emotionally.

The characters are treated with compassion and acceptance. We understand why those who know her want to keep her at arm’s length. She understands it too, but is out to prove herself trustworthy.

The film touches briefly on various issues, but then fails to really explore them, such as the difference between corporate farming (Kathy’s father) and the small farm represented by Walter, andthe desire to take control of an elderly parent’s life when they need help, but don’t want it. Even Walter’s PTSD is only an obstacle that comes up late in the film and is quickly set aside. There is even a brief touch of religion and prayer, but that, too, is quickly passed over.

The real focus of the film is restoration of relationships. We don’t see all healing in the broken relationships, but we do see it in some of them. (That allows us to extrapolate that others will heal as well.) The film also serves to make us aware of the ways mental issues like bi-polar disorder may be the cause of some of the rifts in people’s lives, and that with treatment, those damaged relationship may be mended.

Two Ways Home is available on VOD.

Princess of the Row – Love on Skid Row

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In Van Maximillian Carlson’s Princess of the Row, the model of familial loves is boiled down to a teenage girl and the love she has for her father. That may not seem a very difficult concept, but the father in this instance is problematic.

Alicia (Tayler Buck) has been bouncing around the foster care system. Not because she hasn’t been placed in good homes, but because she constantly runs away to join her father Bo (Edi Gathegi) who lives on L.A.’s skid row. Alicia loves her father unconditionally. But to the rest of the world Bo (actually Sgt. Beauregard Willis) is the kind of person we avoid at all costs. While the homeless in films are often shown as noble, unlucky, or kindly, Bo is threatening and even a bit disgusting. He suffered traumatic brain injury in Iraq and also suffers from severe PTSD. He mutters to himself, stares off into the distance, and suddenly erupts into violence. But for Alicia, he is the only family she knows.

When Alicia is with her father, she has to assume the parental role, making sure he is safe and has food. There are brief moments when he recognizes her and says something loving to her. She tells him, “I love it when you come back to me”, but those times are fleeting. Alicia, who wants to become a writer, has written a story about a unicorn that expresses something of her feelings for her father. That metaphor is really about her own dream, a dream that may be as unlikely as a real unicorn.

When Alicia tries to get help for Bo at the VA, the foster care people try to separate them. They go on the run. The one person they find willing to help, ends up being a child trafficker. In time, Alicia will need to find a way to live her own life without being tied to her father.

The film has won a number of festival prizes, both for the film itself and for the actors. It is an interesting coincidence that the film is coming out on Thanksgiving weekend in the midst of a pandemic in which we are being asked to forego family gatherings. This is a film that can remind us that the bond of family is something that is precious, but also may require letting go of each other for life to grow into maturity.

Princess of the Row is available at select theaters and on VOD.

Photos courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

Father Soldier Son: Just Keep Going

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Father Soldier Son - Wikipedia

Father Soldier Son (directed by Leslye Davis and Catrin Einhorn) is a new Netflix Original Documentary telling the unbelievable story of Brian Eisch, a single father of two young sons and a Platoon Sergeant in the US military.  Showing more than 10 years of footage, we follow this family as they go through the lowest and highest points in their lives.

The early footage of Brian’s children, Isaac and Joey, is very touching.  You can see the love and pride they have for their father.  They miss him when he’s deployed but seem to understand the importance of what their father is doing.  Still, the scene where Brian had to leave again for another 6 month stretch–and watching their goodbyes–was heartbreaking.

Introducing 'Father Soldier Son,' a Film From The Times and Netflix - The New York Times

Despite their understanding, Isaac and Joey were always concerned for their father.  Seeing such young children talking about the weight on their shoulders when their father is deployed (or hearing one say “you shot my Dad so I kill you”) is difficult to watch.  Brian states that he was doing ‘what Uncle Sam asked him to do’, but what is everybody asking of his sons?  Only Brian is in the military, yet so many others are personally affected by it.  Isaac and Joey had to make sacrifices as well.

Brian takes pride in being in the military and seems to prefer being on active duty, deployed, and fighting for his country.  It is part of who he is.  But after a traumatic injury, he can no longer do what he loves.  It’s like he loses his identity and doesn’t know who he is or what to do any longer.  

We see a fascinating shift in the family after Brian’s injury.  The seemingly positive Isaac, who wishes to follow in his father’s footsteps, becomes a more introverted teenager who would prefer to go to college than enroll in the army and the more sensitive Joey suddenly now becomes the son who longs to follow in his father’s footsteps.  Their opinions on the military change as they get older and they battle with questions of whether or not being in the army is worth what their father is going through.

The Must-Watch Doc Father Soldier Son That Was 10 Years In The Making

Brian, losing his identity and dealing with the painful process of an amputation, understandably loses motivation to continue with the difficult healing and learning process.  Not only is he dealing with the physical aspects of his new life, but the emotional consequences as well.  He becomes withdrawn and stops engaging with the family.  His new partner questions whether he had PTSD.  Brian felt that he became a burden to the military and was just someone else that they had to take care of.

Father Soldier Son is a fascinating and sobering look into just one of the millions of people who are in the US military alone.  These soldiers are not just making sacrifices during the time that they are on active duty, but it is a lifelong commitment.  The physical ramifications alone can be immense, but the emotional damage can be a lifelong struggle, not only on the soldiers themselves, but on their family as well.  They are making the ultimate sacrifice.

Despite a laundry list of devastation, we witness the Eisch family experience some beautiful life milestones closer to the end of the film.  Father Soldier Son brings you along on the Eisch family’s emotional roller coaster.

Review: 'Father Soldier Son'

What I choose to take away from this film are the wise words of Brian Eisch, “Just keeping going.  That’s all you can do.  And fill your days with more happiness then sadness.”

Father Soldier Son is streaming on Netflix now.

Self Isolation Film Festival: Fearless

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“We passed through death.”

I think Peter Weir’s 1993 film Fearless may be a very important film for the world to consider in 2021. That will be after we have come through the worst of the Corona Virus pandemic and the social and economic turmoil it is creating. What does it mean to be a survivor—to have gone through a time of fear, death, suffering? Will we see the world through the same eyes as before? Will we mourn all that was lost or celebrate the life ahead?

At the beginning of Fearless, Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) is walking through a cornfield carrying a baby with a small child at his side. We soon discover that an airplane has crashed in the field and he and a few others are survivors finding their way to the emergency personnel. Max’s response to the crash seems very bizarre. He leaves the scene and heads to Los Angeles to reunite with a high school sweetheart. When the airline tracks him down and offers to send him home to San Francisco by train, he opts to fly, showing no fear of another crash. The airline puts Dr. Bill Perlman (John Turturro), a psychologist who specializes in PTSD in the seat next to him. When Max arrives home to his family, he is somewhat distant and brutally honest.

Although Dr. Perlman can’t really connect with Max, he asks Max to visit another survivor, Carla Rodrigo (Rosie Perez), whose toddler son died in the crash. Carla is bedridden with shame and guilt (“very Catholic” according to Perlman). Carla and Max form a connection. Max tells his wife Laura (Isabella Rossellini) that he “feels an overwhelming love” for Carla. (Not the kind of thing Laura is happy to hear.) But Carla and Max are very different. Max is an atheist; Carla is very devout. Max feels energized and invulnerable; Carla is in deep depression. Max and Carla spend time together, but neither makes much progress with reentering the world in a healthy fashion. Max has made it a goal to save Carla. But who will save Max?

This is a film with a great deal of overtly religious image and language. One of the first things Max does after the crash is to eat strawberries, which he is allergic to. He calls it “forbidden fruit”. Max is referred to in the media as “The Good Samaritan” for the way he led some of the survivors out of the wreckage, calling them to “Follow me to the light”. Carla has a bumper sticker on her bedroom door that reads “Jesus es mi mejor amigo”. In a scene where Max and Carla go to church to pray for her son, we note that the crucifix in the chapel has a wound in the side very similar to one Max has. Even though Max espouses atheism, he frequently speaks to and challenges God. The idea of salvation pops up in various ways.

For me the key scene in Fearless as it relates to our current situation is as Carla and Max are in front of a store at Christmas time. He tells her “We’re safe because we died already.” He has her look at the others around them who don’t understand what it means to die in your mind. Then he tells her “We passed through death.” (Coincidentally, I watched this on Easter. These lines resonate very well with Easter themes.)

Is that perhaps what we are doing now—passing through a kind of death? Not just the rising toll of deaths from COVID-19, but also the disruption to education, and an economy that will certainly be seriously damaged, leading to increased unemployment, failed businesses, loss of retirement savings that will affect millions of people. What will 2021 hold for those of us who have passed through this time of trial? Will we be wracked by survivors’ guilt? Will we, like Max, think we have charmed lives that make us impervious to injury? Will we see ourselves as Max describes Carla and himself: ghosts? We will all face grief and loss in some way. Is an unrealistic outlook like Max’s any healthier than Carla’s retreat? I haven’t heard anyone say this yet, but I expect the next pandemic to hit the world could well be PTSD from all the things that we are currently living through.

At some point we will think everything has returned to normal (or some semblance of normal). It would be naïve to think that because we made it through this pandemic that we have not been affected. We are all wounded by this. We are all infected, if not with the virus, with emotional stress and fear. We need to begin now to pay attention to how we will respond to that time when we have made it out of the wreckage of COVID-19. And we will need to continue to care for one another long after we start returning to our lives.

Fearless is available for rent on Amazon Prime for $2.99.

Goodbye Christopher Robin: Identity Theft

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Blue: “Your childhood. . .” Billy: “. . .Was wonderful. Growing up was hard.”

In a time when people were famous just for being famous, a young boy’s father writes a book with him as a character. Soon, the whole world wants to know and meet the “real” Christopher Robin. Goodbye Christopher Robin is the story of the writing of the Winnie-the-Pooh books and how the success of those books impacted the young son of the author, A. A. Milne.

When Alan Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) returns from World War I, he has become cynical and disillusioned. He silently suffers from what we would now term PTSD. An established playwright, he is unhappy with his life. As he says, “I’ve had enough of making people laugh. I want to make them see.” He moves with his wife Daphne (Margot Robbie) and young son Christopher (who they always call Billy Moon) (Will Tilston) to the country so he can concentrate on writing his book against war. Daphne sees this as a dead end. (“Writing a book against war is like writing a book against Wednesday.”) She returns to London until Alan gets something done. But she leaves the child there in the charge of a nanny, Nou (Kelly MacDonald).

Milne is something of the stereotypical cold, distant father. When Nou must leave for a few days, the father and son are thrown together with very little connection. As Milne steps aside from his writing to be with Billy (Christopher), he discovers a child with a vivid imagination and an innocent, joyful outlook. That becomes the basis for the Pooh books. The books were amazingly successful, bringing the family fame and wealth.

But that success has a price. Soon Billy is deluged with fan mail. Everyone wants to know the real life Christopher Robin. His days are filled with interviews and photo-ops. But is the boy everyone thinks they know from the books the same as the boy in the flesh? As his parents relish the attention, Billy is losing his childhood. Worse, he is losing his sense of self. He wishes that he could go somewhere (if there is any such place in the world) that did not know about Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. The real Christopher Robin had been eclipsed by the fictional one.

When his father is telling him about the book, Billy asks why he is calling the character Christopher Robin. His father says that it is because that is his real name, but not who he really is. As a result Billy constantly deals with the onus of having to be Christopher Robin to the rest of the world.

That confusion of an existential identity plays out in his relationship with his father and with the world around him. At a publicity event, when Christopher is asked a question, he begins by saying “Blue said… [pause] A. A. Milne… [pause] Daddy…” That is essentially his hierarchy of the relationship he has with his father. Blue is his playmate, A. A. Milne is the writer he lives with. It is only after those two that he sees the man as Daddy. The relationship would be a struggle for them into adulthood.

To know who one is is a fundamental need. We probably all must deal with competing selves: how we see ourselves, how others see us, prejudices, expectations. For young Christopher Robin that struggle defined his life. And for all the fame and adoration, he suffered greatly.

Photos courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Films

Blood Stripe: Unseen Wounds

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In Blood Stripe, a Marine sergeant (known only as Our Sergeant) returns from her latest deployment to start civilian life. She has a difficult time fitting in with family and friends. She finds much of her daily life meaningless. She is unable to sleep. She has episodes of anger and fear. It will be months before she can get into the VA. One day when Our Sergeant (Kate Nowlin) is going through memorabilia she sees a postcard from a church camp she went to as a child. Can that be a place of healing for her? Running away from her family she sets off to the camp where she volunteers to help the caretaker. It is a place of peace and solace. She meets people who are loving and caring. But perhaps her internal wounds are more that anyone can ultimately deal with.

There have been a number of films dealing with veterans coming home with PTSD and related issues. Some of those have been about women who have served in combat. Usually such films try to give us some sense of the trauma that happens in battle. In those films we are subjected to battle scenes that have created the pains and wounds (both physical and emotional) that these soldiers come home with. But Blood Stripe never shows us what Our Sergeant has gone through. We don’t get to see a cause/effect relationship. Instead we, like her family and friends, only see that she is in pain now. It creates frustration and a sense of helplessness. That is intentional on the part of the filmmakers, to put us in an uncomfortable position as we try to relate to Our Sergeant.

When I noted the church connection to the camp to which Our Sergeant has run, I feared it would make for a trite story. One might expect that as Our Sergeant spends time in nature and comes across people of faith that she might have an epiphany in which she finds healing in the grace that is all around her. She does find some peace by being close to nature and away from most people. There are people of faith who are accepting of her journey. But the film doesn’t rely on cheap grace or easy epiphanies. In fact, the film is not about Our Sergeant finding healing at all. The ending will probably leave many feeling lost, sad, or perhaps angry, in that it doesn’t take us where we want to go. Instead it takes us into Our Sergeant’s (and so many other soldier’s) despair. It reminds us that the costs of war are far beyond what can be measured in budgets.

 

 

 

Megan Leavey – A Marine and Her Dog

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“They’re not even dogs anymore; they’re warriors. And they come back with all the same issues we do.”

Based on a true story, Megan Leavey is a story of warriors—a Marine and her dog. But it is more than a war story. It is the story of a struggle to find one’s place in the world and the way a bond with another could provide a sense of meaning and purpose.

Megan Leavey (Kate Mara) is living an aimless life, but joins the Marines as a way out of that. When she is punished by being sent to clean out the cages in the KP division, she sees the training being done and feels that this is where she wants to be. She perseveres until she is assigned a dog to bond with, Rex, an aggressive, unruly dog. As they train together, the bond deepens. In time, Leavey and Rex are sent to Iraq, where they go out on combat missions in front of the patrols to search for IEDs. In time, both are injured in an explosion. After Leavey’s enlistment is over, she struggles with PTSD and finding her place in civilian life. She misses Rex, and seeks to adopt him when the Marines retire him. However, because of his temperament and his assault training, he is deemed unadoptable when no longer of use to the Marines. So Leavey begins a campaign to show the world the need to find a safe and loving place for animals like Rex.

The film is directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who previously made the documentary Blackfish about orcas in captivity. She has a sensitivity toward animals as more than just lesser beings. Whereas Blackfish deals with the exploitation of animals, this film sees the animals involved as being part of a team. For Leavey, Rex is not just a tool that can smell explosives; he is an extension of herself. The bond between human and animal becomes the emotional core of the film. For Leavey, the bond with Rex comes more naturally than bonds with people: including her parents and another Marine dog handler whom she dates. As she says early in the film, “I don’t really connect with people very well.” Yet her bond with Rex will push her out of her comfort zone in order to find a way to bring him home.

Much of the film is a war story, but it then moves into being about adjustments that veterans face. In some ways, it also recognizes that the military animals are also war veterans. As her trainer tells her, these dogs have the same issues as Marines. PTSD may not be limited to humans. After a career in the military, how would a dog be expected to fit into normal life? That is a key in Leavey’s struggle to adopt Rex—it is the problem, but it is also the reason for her perseverance.

The film is very conventional, but it does have its inspirational moments. The heroics portrayed are not limited to the battlefield, but to the commitment Leavey has towards Rex and to her own recovery. It is in being together again that they both can find a place of healing.

Photos courtesy of Bleecker Street Media