Movie Review - 'Restrepo'

Restrepo Directed by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger Rated R

Restrepo follows troops through one of the most dangerous regions in the entire US war on terror and possibly the world, so almost any isolated moment can be truly harrowing. Now imagine that for an hour-and-a-half. Now imagine you're the one with the bullseye on your back. One of the boldest, most personal, and closest-to-the-action war documentaries you're likely to see, Restrepo is not a film made for any other reason than to show the soldier's experience, as fully as possible. The immediacy of the footage, divided by studio sit-downs with soldiers giving feedback on their lives in the Afghan theater, has a tremendous impact, and it's a wise decision by directors Tim Hetherinton and Sebastian Junger to take that approach instead of what would otherwise be a disconnected travelogue -- war is hell all over again. The film's title is not intended to mislead; the 15-man outpost chronicled by Junger and Hetherington is named after a fallen medic, and inspired the name of the documentary as well. The directors, too, are not immediately identifiable, at least not as filmmakers. Junger is an author first, having written The Perfect Storm and a series of Vanity Fair articles in 2007 and 2008 from this same region, the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. Hetherington is a photographer and a damn good one. His work, with Junger, canvassing this same shellshocked region of Afghanistan, won him the World Press Photo competition three years ago. So while a case could be made that more experienced filmmakers might a great film from the same material, it's impossible to argue that more dedicated or informed individuals could be found. Not on this subject. Hetherington has called Restrepo "a distillation of what we know of conflict," referring to the brutality and anxiety he and Junger have seen for so long. Their familiarity with the surroundings, human and otherwise, is evident in their film. They understand the consequences, the fragility, all of it, and while a narrative push may not be as strong here as in a lot of documentaries, the impact is just undeniable. The cause of observance under these circumstances also has another benefit: No politics. It simply doesn't come up, nor should it when we're face-to-face with the men carrying out the orders. How can it even matter at that point? The mission of the troops is a simple one: Under steady fire - sometimes multiple attacks a day - try to convince those few Afghans in the area to turn against Al Qaeda and the Taliban and in return the US will build schools and other amenities. Junger and Hetherington do not shrink from the subject: An on-camera death is hard for us to watch, harder still because of how hard it is for his comrades to take it in. Such scenes are leveled, as much as they can be, supposedly, by lighter sequences of the troops enjoying what little blessed downtime they're able to find. For thousands of years, these two sides of the coin are unchanged, no matter which side of the fight the soldiers are on. Restrepo does not have an abundance of polish, nor should it. This is a raw, evocative experience. It could use a touch more development from the soldiers after the fact, but the point of those interviews certainly gets across. You'll be awed, saddened, possibly sickened, but not unmoved. The battle in Afghanistan continues to rage for who knows how long. They have withdrawn from this section of Afghanistan, at least physically.

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