|
|
| Home
Subscribe About Us Features News Album
Reviews
|
Restrepo Documentary Directors and Photographers: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger Interviewed: members of the Second Platoon, Battle Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, including Captain Dan Kearney, Master Sergeant Lamont Caldwell, Sergeant Misha C. Pemble Belkin, Sergeant Kyle M. Steiner, Staff Sergeant Aron J. Hijar, Staff Sergeant Joshua A. McDonough and Sergeant Miguel Cortez Outpost Films/National Geographic Rating: R for language and descriptions of violence Running Length: 93 minutes Restrepo is both the name of an individual and the name of a place. It is also the title of this documentary by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger (author of The Perfect Storm) with exquisite photography and detail about an American military group in the mountains of Afghanistan in 2008. The particular area was the Korengal Valley in east Afghanistan, a dangerous place. It is near Pakistan and considered a link between Kabul and the border. PFC Juan S. Restrepo was a platoon medic who was popular with everyone, but killed by Taliban fighters. The outpost there was called “Restrepo” in his honor. Hetherington and Junger, with danger to themselves, go into battle with the platoon gathering comments on warfare, being away from home, death, meetings with village elders and down time. The camera work brings the audience onto the trail, and the constant threat of ambush. Who do you trust? What is the worth of a dead cow? When asking for villager’s help, they respond by saying, “If we tell you about the Taliban, we get killed.” I'm guessing the elevation would be about 6000 feet. This doesn’t seem to affect anyone. We learn that “Pemble” grew up with hippy parents and they wouldn’t let him have a toy gun. Captain Kearney has to have a knowledge both of his men, the village elders as he meets with them each week and dealing with the accidental deaths of civilians. One soldier describes being hit from an insurgent who was about 20 feet away. The soldier ended up rolling down hill, but was safe. An operation in the mountains called “Rock Avalanche” has everyone nervous. The enemy could be anywhere. Restrepo is an eye-opener at war in a foreign place. The intricacies of negotiation, stress of battle in the mountains and villagers afraid to give any information. Death sits next to you at all times and during battle, people do die. The time to mourn is later, but then it is difficult to sleep. There are no political sides taken in this film. The audience sees what happens during a military operation and comments from soldiers there on the spot, where, as one soldier says, “The fear is always there, especially at night.” Copyright 2010 Marie Asne
|
Copyright © 1996 - 2010 The Phantom Tollbooth
