RESTREPO

I posted on Restrepo back in the summer after seeing a screener copy of the documentary.  Now it’s playing in Greensboro, so I’ll repeat the high points.

I think this is an important film.  The title comes from the name of a medic in the platoon who is killed shortly after their tour begins, and Restrepo the film conveys the simultaneous tedium and tension of life at war and also demonstrates the complete cultural disconnect between US soldiers and the Afghans living in the area.

I must say I thought it was a little thin on character development.  The two filmmakers, Tim Heatherington and Sebastian Junger spent a total of ten months sometimes separately and other times together with the troops then conducted interviews with them after they completed the tour.  The interviews do help add context, so that was a good choice.  The whole enterprise, as presented by the filmmakers, seems futile.  History suggests the same.

 

 

2 Replies to “RESTREPO”

  1. Hi, Just a note to add that Restrepo can be viewed on the Time Warner HD on Demand Channel: select National Geographic and then the documentary. It is an important film as is Junger’s book WAR which is a written account of the same platoon and valley. Jay

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