Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Billy Wonka (A) on October 27, 2017 at 16:19:11

From a vet's POV this can be the best/worst movie of the year. The writing and direction really bring home what guys bring back and suffer with in a believable and honest way. This isn't about a bunch of guys whining about how bad it was in group therapy (while shooting for 100% disability). It's about pain, manifestations, and horrors that can reappear at any moment in the day. Teller and cast do excellent jobs wrestling with that which will not go away. Hayley Bennett lives the frustration, anger, and worries a wife can feel as her man struggles to appear normal while holding it all in. (If there is a downside, it is the cameo of Amy Schumer playing a widow of the unit. She just wasn't in the same class as the rest of the cast.)

There is only a short combat sequence at the beginning of the film that sets up Teller's initial problems with PTSD. The film also shows, fairly honestly, the problems with the VA and the heartless, MBA quality of today's officer corps. It all makes you understand how vets are killing themselves at the rate of 22 a day.

I would not recommend this for a combat vet, family members, or anyone who has struggled with the loss of a loved one because of PTSD/TBI.

This is an Independent production that is well produced with honest intentions and purpose. It's an education of sorts. Approach with caution.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LQGcb5knE   (Open in New Window)