A War

[Raven]

I live reasonably close to a theater that plays indie and foreign films. A War is worth a watch if it's playing near you. It contains scenes that may trigger.

Even the trailer could be a trigger.

I honestly don't see it as an anti-war film, but a cinematic commentary on how paradoxical humanitarian law is.

 

[Ronin1]

Some of the people actually went to Afghanistan... They were from my regiment and the lifeguards regiment.

 

[Spock]

Thanks for sharing. I don't think they can make too many films on this topic because the vast majority of civilians are too ready to judge with no perspective. Film is a powerful medium to share a bit of the complications resulting from war. Glad they put it out there...

 

[Raven]

I sat in the theater seething with hatred for the people trying to demonize the main character.

Other viewers may have felt differently.

But that's a success on the filmmaker's part. He doesn't tell you how to interpret it.

Some of the people actually went to Afghanistan... They were from my regiment and the lifeguards regiment.

Is collateral damage truly scrutinized in the Danish military?

 

[Ronin1]

I sat in the theater seething with hatred for the people trying to demonize the main character.

Other viewers may have felt differently.

But that's a success on the filmmaker's part. He doesn't tell you how to interpret it.



Is collateral damage truly scrutinized in the Danish military?

Yep. We were under fire down there, so we called in mortar and artillery. Then the military lawyers had to take a look at if the support and amount of support was truly needed.

To be honest. The Danish military and government would not like to have the reputation the American military/government has in the case of anything collateral. Or so we were told.

 

[Raven]

In the U.S. Military collateral damage is accepted as just an unfortunate aspect of war and it isn't looked into very deeply. As long as it doesn't appear as though civilians were purposefully targeted, and even then it's swept under the rug or explained away as a regrettable misunderstanding.

 

[Deleted member 40387]

I never saw the movie but caught a little about collateral damage. I had mixed feelings about Iraqi civilians. When do they stop being civilians? Alot of times I.E.D. were detonated by people on cell phones. We could not just kill a guy on a cell phone or could we? What about Iraqi women hovering around an artillery shell? Alot of Americans died because of Gray area and fear of collateral damage. Some soldiers were actually afraid to return fire to an area not in our realm of responsibility. We carried drop AKs after some kills were labeled unjustified. Terrorists don't care about collateral damage. It's my belief that the Iraqis should have done more to prevent that stuff from coming down on them.

 

[vikingr24]

In the Linebacker raids in 1972, all of the raids combined killed about 1,000 civilians if I recall. The commentary was that kind of loss, and the losses we had, are acceptable. In fact, one general said that is a good number, very low for the amount of tonnage dropped on Hanoi.

But the NVA were ready to talk after that.

 

[bernette2]

I agree with you.