The Hardships of Warfare in RESTREPO

      Restrepo is a harrowing journey into the front lines of Afghanistan. This important, yet overlong documentary portrays the fatalistic mission of a handful of American soldiers for one year in a remote location. The film, at its best, shows the significance of photojournalism, and indirectly shows how the news dropped these important observations when composing the latest headlines. We’ll never truly understand what war, in general, is about and why our young men choose to fight if it wasn’t for real and unbiased documentation like this. 
      Restrepo depicts the fragile lives of the soldiers as it really is; they are young, scared, yet ready to kill if necessary. Restrepo is the name of a combat soldier who was killed at the beginning of the mission in 2006, and since then, their dangerous headquarters has been justly named after the deceased soldier. The filmmakers try to be utterly distant and objective towards the subject at hand, but I’m sure their gut intuition says they were against this attack, and the war in general. Questions and resentments were running through my mind while I was watching this film. Why are they in Afghanistan? What is ultimately accomplished by trying to overthrow the Taliban? How can the U.S. soldiers distinguish the Taliban from the regular citizens of the hillside? 
      The documentary is composed of five interviews and the real-life footage in Afghanistan. The filmmakers used extreme close-ups of the interviewee’s faces so we can see the tension rise as they describe their haunting tour of duty. As engaging and critical as this film was, I wanted the filmmakers to dive deeper into the reason behind the mission, and how the U.S. government demanded such a long stay in Afghanistan, with little to nil results. In addition, I wanted to know more about the soldiers's background, and understand what they were leaving behind and why. Restrepo’s message is very similar to the fictional, yet realistic The Hurt Locker (2009); it captured the adrenaline of warfare and the bond created between the young men fighting.       
When those boys went overseas no one told them they would have to engage in politics with the local natives of Afghanistan. When the platoon needed to take over and persuade the villagers to give up the Taliban, they realized they weren’t trained in that department. If there ever was a point to the mission, it would’ve been to convince the natural citizens they needed the American forces for their protection. 
      Based on the documentary, I don’t think the people of Afghanistan were convinced at all. Perhaps if Restrepo came out before The Hurt Locker, my initial reaction would’ve been greater than it really was, but it still treads on a powerful immediacy to our nation's understanding of what war is all about. It’s too bad the young Americans were there to kill, because the Afghan countryside is absolutely gorgeous. Based upon the footage, I would love the opportunity to hike up those bountiful green mountains, drink hot tea with the locals, and campout on a starry night. Unfortunately, they were there to endure the bombings, cross-fires, and the man next to them getting shot and killed. 


*** (out of four stars)