Restrepo

Restrepo

It was 29 degrees outside and the last thing I wanted to see was a film about soldiers fighting in Afghanistan dressed in all their gear. In the summer it must have been terrible carrying all the weight of their equipment. In the winter they appeared to be underdressed as they trudged through the snow in the mountains. There was nothing else playing so I walked to Dundas and Yonge to see this documentary about a battalion stationed in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. Their mission was to kill the Taliban and try to work with the civilians living there.

This was considered one of the most dangerous postings. One soldier states,” What are we doing here in this hell hole?” Another sobs uncontrollably after his friend is killed.

The film opens showing us a truck driving along the dirty dusty roads. A bomb hits and there is death.

The area is named Restrepo after one of the leading soldiers who died there. We get to see how they lived and how they fought. We meet several of the soldiers and they tell the camera how they are feeling.

How could I not be touched? I winced when I saw the food they ate that they seemed to think was okay. A sticky fly trap was hanging from the ceiling directly over the non descript food. I might add it was covered with dead flies. The men joked as they stoked the fire. It was a big vat that was burning their feces.

The quarters were sparse and I wondered how they washed and kept their clothes clean. I noticed that many of their arms and hands were bruised and dirty Water must have been a scarcity.

The men joke with one another and play games to pass the time. One soldier even had his guitar and played for the men. How would he ever have been able to carry the musical instrument with all his baggage? When asked they do admit to their fear.

We follow them on their maneuvers into the high hills and through the brush. With every step my heart was racing wondering if someone would be shot. Several of the men do lose their lives.

I was horrified when one soldier took great satisfaction in killing a Taliban. He also stated that he would probably have trouble adjusting when he went home. I wonder that any of those soldiers could lead a ‘normal’ life after the rigors of fighting in Afghanistan.

I was intrigued with the leader. He kept giving them pep talks to encourage them in their mission. I sensed that he was fair and was a good leader. It appeared as if the men respected him. That would be the only way they could succeed in such trying circumstances.

The land in Afghanistan is brutal. It is beautiful but was so challenging and brutal for the soldiers. They held weekly meetings with the elders to try and negotiate how to make their lives better. Translations were necessary and sometimes I felt the translations were not accurate and could lead to misunderstandings.

This was an amazing documentary. I will never go to Afghanistan. I will never be part of a fighting army. Through this film I was able to see directly the challenge faced by this troop.

It must have been a great challenge to produce this film. The camera men went along on all the missions and were able to talk directly to the men to learn how they were responding to the situation. This film deserves an award.