35 Days

Here is my #4 movie choice to see at Sundance

#4 Restrepo (U.S. Documentary)
In 2008 Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington dug in with the men of Second Platoon for a year. Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, a stronghold of al Qaeda and the Taliban, has proven to be one of the U.S. Army's deadliest challenges. It is here that the platoon lost their comrade, PFC Juan Restrepo, and erected an outpost in his honor. Up close and personal, Junger and Hetherington gain extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of backbreaking labor and deadly firefights that are a way of life at Outpost Restrepo. Ever wonder what it's really like to be in the trenches of war? Restrepo may be one of the most experiential and visceral war films you'll ever see. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers reveal the humor and camaraderie of men and come under daily fire, never knowing which of them won't make it home.

I have always been fascinated with anything related to the military, so to have the opportunity to see what war is really like, while hard to see, will also be very eye-opening. I expect it to be a relatively intense movie as it is about war, but also emotionally because it will show what life is truly like as a soldier. I don't think many movies can effectively capture the experiences men and women in uniform have. Perhaps Saving Private Ryan is similar to what military life is like, but even then who knows. I have watched a show called Army Wives quite a bit that depicts life on a military post. It has brought to light topics and situations I never would have thought about when a family is involved in the military. I don't believe that all the movies and/or shows about military life can effectively portray their experiences, but I hope Restrepo can give an authentic representation of what the directors witnessed.