I'm excited to be welcoming Austin-based filmmaker Heather Courtney to our class next Thursday. In preparation for her visit, please watch her Emmy-winning documentary
Where Soldiers Come From on Netflix Instant and comment thoughtfully about it below. What aspect of the work did you most appreciate and respect? What was its biggest strength? Please support your assertions with direct references to the material.
Also, please include in your response at least one question you want to ask Heather about the film and/or its making. I'm interested to know what you'd ask.
I hope you enjoy the film, and please remember to post your comments (and question for Heather) here and
on Moodle by no later than 9am next Wednesday, November 13th!
Heather Courtney’s Where Soldiers Come From is an emotionally powerful film. In the beginning I wasn’t really into it, and I found myself kind of bored and wondering what the direction was, but I think it really helped me get attached to the subjects. I got connected to the boys and their families, and I found myself getting worried for them in Afghanistan. This, I think, is the film’s biggest strength. Courtney may have made this for other reasons, like saying war is bad, but the way she got me to feel for the soldiers and their families was her biggest success. And I think the families are to credit for that as well. They allowed themselves to be so open with a camera in their faces; I felt that they were being very honest. Courtney interviewed the family members in different situations that I thought were very interesting, for example, when Corey’s mom is curling her hair. It made me see her more naturally, and maybe helped her speak more openly without even realizing it. I also thought Dominic’s artwork and letters were well-articulated and helpful to show an audience how he felt in a different way than a simple interview.
ReplyDeleteHearing Courtney’s voice when she asked questions kind of threw me off at first. I guess I didn’t expect to be involved with anyone but the soldiers and the families. It brought to mind that this is a movie, and it changed something for me, which I can’t quite figure out how. It did make me think about how well she had to get to know these people to get such a close look into their lives, and how comfortable they seemed to talk to her.
Some questions I’d like to ask Heather are:
What about Brodi’s family?
How long did you take to get to know them before you started filming?
How did you find these boys and their families?
What would you change or do differently now that the movie is done?
Like every other film we watched, I was amazed by both the unique story and approach. What makes this particularly interesting is the fact that the small cast of this film represents a much larger group of Americans. The approach to this “war documentary” is very personal, narrowing in on three friends that go off to war. There also seem to several stages of this film: before war, during war, and after war. I think the most powerful section is after the parade/once the welcome home wore off. It sure the true effects of war. By showing the personalities of the three lead characters before war, it made their post-war personalities seem to be in complete opposition. The interviews of Dom and Bodi after the war were such a crucial part of this film. Incorporating the silent TBI, makes the audience realize there are consequences that go along with war. I feel there is a strong underlying message in this film to refrain from joining the military because you’re young and confused. It educates the audience on what happens in war by showing both the good and bad times of war. We see images of several young Afghanistan children looking to the U.S. Army and we see our soldiers getting blown up by land mines. Heather did such a great job on this. I have seen several war-related documentaries, but it’s great to see the different approaches within them. I love the fact that each documentary I watch educates me a little more on a certain subject.
ReplyDeleteI noticed significant weight gain in all three soldiers after the war. Did that issue ever get brought up?
Did their substance usage increase after war, or did it stay the same? I didn’t notice a huge difference.
Where are they now?
I don’t know who actually did the camera operation in Afghanistan, but they had some serious guts. I know they had cameras in the tanks, but it could’ve been any tank that ran over a bomb. Were there any injuries not mentioned in the film?
I really enjoyed this film! I have heard lots of stories and seen many people affected by family members or children going off to war over seas but it really clicked for me about how difficult it is for these families after watching this film. I felt apart of the family in a way that I connected to both sides. It never fully occurred to me how difficult it was for both parties (the son and his family back home) being so far away. The visuals of everyone in the film and the emotions captured by the camera really put it all in to perspective for me.
ReplyDeleteAlso the shots in Afghanistan were very dramatic. I've head stories about how different it is being apart of a war and going to work everyday as a soldier. The film made it feel like I was there with them on a mission everyday to help protect people from IEDs and get home alive. The footage of explosions was incredible. It's one thing to see a video of an explosion on the news of just a random bomb going off but it was different in this case because I had grown to know everyone involved in the explosion.
I also liked how the film got into the living situation besides just being on the battle field. I found it interesting that almost all the soldiers were drinking NyQuil or taking benedryl just to be able to go to sleep. It just goes to show how stressful and difficult the situations they're going through are.
My Question:
What was it like following these men to Afghanistan?
Was it more scary or more exhilarating filming during a war (on the battle field)?
Would you go back and film in a hostile environment again?
The first couple of images of this film turned me off immediately. There was something about the grainy black and white look that I didn’t find appealing. However, once I met the characters and the story started rolling, I became completely and incredibly captivated. Later on in the film the same black and white grainy filter was used and it worked for me in that moment. If I remember correctly, it was used to show how empty their home felt without them. But having it for the very first image didn’t flow with me. With that being said, I really loved this documentary. I think what I admire the most about it is the structure of the story. There was a perfect balance between the guys at war and the family back home. There wasn’t a moment that dragged on too long for me. This is a huge topic and I can’t even begin to think about how Heather wrapped her head around the entirety of the story while shooting. Maybe she didn’t until the edit. Either way, it was gracefully done. A scene that really stuck with me is when everyone skyped for the first time. The edit was great. The cutting between Cole and his family mixed with the cutting between Dom and his family was cleverly transitioned. Overall, I really just loved the story and the structure of it. I don’t know how to describe why I liked it so much. Everything was balanced so well. I think the definite character development helped to give the film a graceful progression. It also helped that the film was structured in 3 very clear acts: before, during and after. War, no doubt, changes people. Hearing each character’s thoughts about America, Afghanistan, the war and home as they journeyed through these different acts was great. It was interesting to see how their feelings became more intense the longer they stayed. On the other side of the spectrum, the families were absolutely adorable. Their love and compassion for their sons and family-friends was moving. I felt a connection between myself and all of these characters. These people are just so simple and down to earth; my kind of people. I could also easily connect with Lindsay and Dom’s girlfriend because I have both a brother and a boyfriend who I would hate to see go to war. I felt for them entirely. Another connection: I lived in the U.P. for 5 years of my childhood, and I have deep respect for the people who live there. It’s a little difficult to explain, but it’s just a different living experience versus anything around here. Another thing to mention is the fact that my favorite docs are character driven. Put all of these elements together and you create an amazing documentary and a happy Tina.
ReplyDeleteMy questions! ACCESS?! I was really surprised that this camera was allowed to follow the guys so heavily on base and in training. My other question regards Heather’s emotions while filming the family. There were a few moments when Dom’s girlfriend directly addressed her, yet Heather’s voice and presence was still distanced. How was she able to keep herself out of the story even though she was so involved with the emotion of these families? Even the scene when Cole’s mom asked her (or whoever was behind camera) if they had seen a certain film. Not even then is there any input from the filmmaker. I’m not sure if I could ever pull that off; I’m too verbal and involved.
Where Soldiers Come From, was a truly stunning documentary. I did not anticipate the emotional response I would get when watching it. The characters are all super relatable, and because there is no narration we can draw a strong connection with these people we’ve never met in real life. I usually am an avid notetaker when I watch any sort of film, but I barely could take my eyes off the screen to jot down notes. When I was going into the Marines we were pretty much taught to hate all other branches of the military, especially the National Guard. This documentary shines a light on how naive I was back then. My views have changed quite a bit since I was rejected for health reasons, but I never really understood how similar other applicants were to me. We all had no idea what we were getting into. These kids are young, and impressionable. The biggest atrocity shown in this film is how young these guys really are. Many of them are barely college age, yet they are now faced with an impossible plight: to re assimilate themselves to American society. My favorite scene in the entire film was when they were being shown the slideshow for “training.” Wow. The film captured how brilliantly awful these “leaders” are. These higher ups are supposed to be training young men to go to war for a supposed good cause, yet they don’t even know if the Afghani president is still alive? We truly live in a culture of ignorance. This scene demonstrated so perfectly a modern brainwashed society. The end of the film was very emotional for me especially because my family, and I can relate so strongly to Cole’s. My biggest question would be: other than the obvious homecomings, and IED explosions, what interview or visual had the greatest impact on you?
ReplyDeleteI am also from a small mid-west town and I too know people who are in the National Guard who are my age. Because of that I think I can relate. I’ve never been apart of it but I have from the outside. I think there is something unique to growing up in a small town and I could feel that when watching. It felt safe and homey to me in the beginning and then seeing them in the Middle East driving around looking for bombs I wanted them to come back home. Almost a home we share, if that makes sense. When they arrived at the school and paraded through town I felt like they were filming my town. I felt like old high school mates were coming back. This might not be something other people are attracted to when watching but for me this was the films biggest strength. It roped me in and kept me interested the whole time.
ReplyDeleteI also really appreciated the graffiti in the abandoned building. I like how it was speed up until the Upper Peninsula was all that was left. Then the sister comes back to that half way through the film and it is covered by all this other graffiti. It was a good symbol of the past and how it is changed.
Questions:
I’m really curious about the relationship between the filmmaker (Heather) and the boys. Did she know they before? Did she know or meet any other boys that were joining and didn’t pick them. What was “casting” like?
Also I want to know if she was ever afraid that something would happen to one of the boys and how she would deal with that in the film.
This Doc was absolutely great, it was actually my second time around watching it and not at any moment was it dull because of my second time seeing it. i get lost in the guys stories and how they are narrating and their lives are guiding everything and it isn't like shot than put together in a different way to portray whats going on. an example of what i mean is the progression of them prior to joining the military and we see their lives in the small town in michigan and we continue to see the progression of being in the military and the best part for me was being over seas and the footage shot and their testimony about being over there. This really was a twilight zone moment because this was something like my story. after high school my two best friends and me joined the national guard an MP. Right before boot camp i decided it wasn't for me and i didn't go but my two friends did. 3 years later they were deployed to afghanistan and i was at Columbia. the authenticity of the doc was there, when it comes to doing a doc about about the military i feel getting newly enlisted and young people will give you that unawareness of rawness that you need to relate or feel sympathy for. definetly a great doc and on my list of favorite military docs.
ReplyDeletemy question for heather would be how was it gaining access to shoot in afghanistan and at any moment was did the crew not feel comfortable going to shoot there?
also how was it for the guys you being there and even just getting interview footage and b-roll, did they look like they were losing concentration on being in combat or feel like they had to act different for the camera?
I'm really glad this doc was a full account of past to present for the guys because many different docs don't go so in depth with the subjects or they have many people that it isn't as easy to focus on a story and draw a connection. the third part of the doc which is when they're all back home is and was at times the hardest to watch because i can draw that close connection of their lives after war with my two friends, that feeling of trying to get medical attention and it not being as easy as it is put out to be by the VA, or transition into a school setting and having life at a slower pace. I've show this doc to my friends and a powerful reaction from both.
Where Soldiers Come From
ReplyDeleteComing from Michigan, this film was mind blowing. In a positive way. I knew the UP and the mitten were different, but I did not realize they were two different states pretty much. Their life was so much different than anything I have ever experienced in Michigan. It felt like military was their only choice up there, but it had this weird positive spin on it – sort of. The dudes felt stuck in a circle, at home dreading Afghanistan, but while Afghanistan dreading going home. The change we saw on camera, of all the men was amazing, and it was so unsettling and almost immediate. I never once felt like the story was forced by the director, and I could't tell you the directors position on the issue at all. The cinematography was haunting in a beautiful way. This was the men telling their story, but just by letting you in their group, I felt the trust of everyone in the film had towards the camera. I think the interviews in the bedrooms is what really sticks out to me, the bedroom is so personal, and to be really opening up and showing feelings to someone was such a real feeling. I felt so connected to the people. The sound of this movie was perfect also, the ambience of the film, mixed with the score just worked so well with the visuals. I think both sides of the story are both told, the soldiers story mixed with the loved ones, just raised the emotional connection even farther.
The film is quite compassionate. The issue of our war heroes returning damaged has been a problem for a very long time, I enjoyed this modern version. I personally haven’t encountered anyone close to me with similar issues so it was somewhat informing me about the problems soldiers face when returning home. I enjoyed the shots of the explosions and on the missions, it gave a feel of being right there with the soldiers. The use of non-dialogue gives the film a more authentic feel, which I think makes the audience drawn in even more emotionally
ReplyDeleteWhen the first images of the film rolled out on screen, I was a little less than interested.. But as soon we began to meet the characters I became completely immersed in the story. I almost felt as if I were a new kid in the town and everyone was extremely open and welcoming to me. Before I knew it, there was a bond between the characters and myself that elicited a deep sense of concern for my new "friends" and their families, and what their fate may potentially be. As the story began to unravel and we learned about the deployment to Afghanistan, the tone almost seemed surreal. Here are kids from a small town who are more or less condemned to an undesirable circle of life that is led by their predecessors; the minute they try to make a change in that circle, they are sent off to war where they will potentially be killed. Although Heather made it easy to identify with the families upon receiving this news, I can only imagine how they truly felt inside. As for the soldiers during their educational training (the power point scene) I almost got the sense that many of them had no clue what they had just signed up for. They're supposed to be going to war where they could potentially die, and yet government agents cant even provide them with accurate, up to date information. When we arrived in Afghanistan, I noticed a very different contrast, not only in the obvious change of scenery but in the attitudes amongst all of the boys (I guess by this point I should be calling them men). Surprisingly, the men seemed to get over the fact that they were actually at war particularly fast and buckled down to do their jobs. But as they adjusted to their new settings, they opened a new can of emotional issues. I found it interesting that Heather almost seemed to take on the role of a counselor by allowing the men to talk about their feelings to her and the camera. I was also very impressed by Heather's access and bravery associated with filming at war. Her being there really brings a new meaning to the question "are you willing to die for this project?". When the men returned home, I feel like the old emotions did too. It was almost surreal that they were back. It almost felt ironic as they paraded through the town; They joined the National Guard to make a change in the course of their life, and after going to war and becoming mildly traumatized, here they are in the exact same place they started, now just filled with even more emotions.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I found that this film had an incredible impact on me. Prior to discovering my interest in filmmaking, I had visited a Marine recruiter and was rather close to enlisting. Throughout watching this film, I couldn't help but wonder what the similarities and differences I would have experienced had I enlisted. Although I've already had a chance to speak with Heather, I would love to learn more about how she narrowed down and found her story.
This film started out sort of dry for me but as it went on I became super into it. I feel that this is a political doc even though it's not meant to be. Its a personal doc about the group of kids. But to me it's so much bigger than that. The president should definitely see this film...Everyone should. I'm amazed by her access and the relationships she must've made to make this film. They are so comfortable with her, like their friends. She did risk her life to make this film and that just adds on to the reasons why this film is so important. I didn't feel like anything was irresponsible. There was tons of evidence & the camerawork was very inviting to the story. Great great work.
ReplyDelete