Film sees war through soldiers' eyes

(I am a bit depressed today, so nothing sexy. Tomorrow perhaps.)


By Richard Allen Greene
BBC News, Washington

Award-winning documentary The War Tapes sees Iraq through soldiers' eyes - by having them do the filming.
As the US military convoy rolls out of Ft Anaconda, Iraq, it passes a sign reading: "Lock and load".
The order is an instruction to the soldiers to have their weapons ready to fire - but as one infantry company went into action in 2004, a handful of its troops had a second piece of equipment locked and loaded as well: video cameras.
The men had volunteered to film their year in Iraq for a remarkable documentary.
Its opening moments warn the viewer immediately that this is no Hollywood look at combat, as the soldiers of the New Hampshire National Guard come under attack and the camera jerks wildly.
Sombre Middle Eastern music overlays the panting of the troops, the sharp crack of gunfire and the tinkling of shell casings hitting the ground.
And then a flat, almost expressionless voice says: "I want to kill."
"I may already have killed one or some of these bastards," it continues matter-of-factly.
Premiering in a week when America struggles with the notion that its marines may have massacred civilians in Iraq, the film neither romanticises nor demonises its three main characters: Specialist Michael Moriarty, Sgt Steven Pink and Sgt Zack Bazzi.
The soldiers in the film have families and fears, senses of humour and a capacity for anger.
At least one, Spc Moriarty, describes himself as deeply patriotic - but the men are not wide-eyed innocents about their mission in Iraq.

They proclaim cynically that the war is about making money for Kellog Brown & Root (KBR), the military contractor which is a subsidiary of a company once run by Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Or they say it is about oil - adding that, since the United States needs oil, that is as it should be.
Despite the soldiers' grousing about the reasons for the war, the film itself neither supports nor condemns it.
That is as director Deborah Scranton wanted it to be - and as the men involved insisted.
She had been offered the chance to embed with the New Hampshire National Guard, but came back with another proposal instead.

(I'd like to see this film. If anyone is faster than me to see it, please feel inclined to leave your comments and a review)