Where Soldiers Come From

Where Soldiers Come From
Directed by Heather Courtney
Produced by Heather Courtney
Megan Gilbride
David Hartstein
Written by Heather Courtney
Music by This Will Destroy You
Cinematography Heather Courtney
Justin Hennard
Edited by Kyle Henry
Heather Courtney
Tom Haneke
Release date
  • March 14, 2011 (2011-03-14)
Running time
 93 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Where Soldiers Come From is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Heather Courtney.[1] The film is an intimate look at a group of young American men who join the Michigan Army National Guard, their families, and the town they come from. Director Heather Courtney follows these young men closely, as they transition from small town teenagers to Army guardsmen during the war in Afghanistan. Their story continues to follow the 23-year-old veterans dealing with the less visible wounds of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD. It premiered at South by Southwest festival,[2] where it won the best documentary editing award.[3] In 2012, the film won a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story (Long Form),[4] as well as the Truer Than Fiction Independent Spirit Award.[5]

Plot

Motivated by a variety of reasons from college tuition support, to a sense of purpose, best friends Dominic and Cole join the Army National Guard after graduating from their rural high school. After persuading several of their friends to join them, the young men are sent to Afghanistan as part of the 107th Engineer Battalion, 168th Engineer Brigade, where they are tasked with searching for roadside bombs in order to keep roads safe for other troops. By the time their deployment ends, they are no longer the carefree group of friends they were before enlisting; repeated bombs blasts around their convoys have led to TBI symptoms, and they have become increasingly disillusioned about their mission.

Coming home is no relief as they are now confronted with the silent war wounds of PTSD and TBI. The soldiers struggle with reintegration with society and some miss the simplicity in life they had while in Afghanistan. The latter half of the documentary focuses on their struggles on the home front and how each of them, and their families try to return to normal life.

Reception

The film received almost universal critical acclaim following both its theatrical release and its national broadcast on the award-winning PBS series POV. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times called it "quietly devastating" and said, "in its compassionate, modest gaze, the real cost of distant political decisions is softly illuminated, as well as the shame of a country with little to offer its less fortunate young people than a ticket to a battlefield.”[6] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post stated that it was "hauntingly beautiful and deeply felt...some of the best Afghanistan war-related storytelling I’ve seen.”[7] In his review of the film, Time Magazine's film critic Steven James Snyder called it an "emotional and engrossing portrait of America's bravest."[8] Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon claimed that "the last 10 years have produced an array of documentaries about post-9/11 America, but few are as haunting and compassionate as Heather Courtney’s ‘Where Soldiers Come From.’”[9] Salon also included the film in their list of "the best nonfiction TV of 2011."[10] Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore said the film was "a profoundly moving experience. One of the best movies I have seen this year." As of May 2013, the film had an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[11]

Not all reviewers gave the film positive reviews. Lauren Wissot of Slant Magazine criticized the film for being "too unsurprising in its universality" also saying it felt like left-wing propaganda.[12] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times criticized the film's lack of focus, stating that "despite the film's unvarnished emotionality and even-handed messaging, Courtney never seems to have found an appropriate focus, resulting in a work that's less urgent and involving than its intense subject matter might have dictated." Goldstein also noted that the soldiers featured in the film were depicted as lacking "charisma, warmth, or depth," which hampered investment in their journey.[13]

Distribution

The film had a small theatrical release in Fall 2011, as well as a national broadcast premiere on the PBS series POV in November 2011 and an encore broadcast in September 2012. It is also available through the digital distributor New Video on many digital platforms including iTunes and Netflix, and available for educational distribution at New Day Films.

Soundtrack

The film features the music of Explosions in the Sky, Lanterns On The Lake[14] and This Will Destroy You, as well as an original score by composers Alex Chavez and Chad Stocker.

References

  1. ↑ Mackey, Robert (March 15, 2011). "SXSW: Where Soldiers Come From and the Myth of Small Town America". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011.
  2. ↑ Macaulay, Scott (March 16, 2011). "Heather Courtney on her 'Where Soldiers Come From' SXSW Premiere". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011.
  3. ↑ Barker, Andrew (April 4, 2011). "Where Soldiers Come From". Variety. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011.
  4. ↑ "National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Announces Winners at the 33rd Annual News & Documentary EMMY® Awards". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  5. ↑ "Film Flam". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
  6. ↑ Jeannette Catsoulis's review of the film at The New York Times website
  7. ↑ Hank Stuever's review of the film at The Washington Post.com
  8. ↑ Steven James Snyder's review of the film at Time Magazine.com
  9. ↑ Seitz, Matt Zoller. "The accidental soldiers who fought Bush's wars". Salon. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  10. ↑ "The best nonfiction TV of 2011". Salon. Salon. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
  11. ↑ Where Soldiers Come From at Rotten Tomatoes
  12. ↑ "Where Soldiers Come From Review". Slant Magazine.
  13. ↑ "Movie review: 'Where Soldiers Come From'". LA Times.
  14. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/pov/wheresoldierscomefrom/credits.php
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