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Restrepo Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for language throughout, including some depictions of violence) Genre: Documentary, War Theater release: June 25, 2010 by Outpost Films / National Geographic Entertainment Directed by: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

The tagline for Restrepo, which won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, sums it up fairly well: "One platoon, one year, one valley." In a sense, it's the ultimate example of a reality show, filmed by two photojournalists, both regular contributors to Vanity Fair magazine and ABC News: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger (author of The Perfect Storm).

Afghanistan's Korengal Valley (near the border of Pakistan) was considered one of the most dangerous military hot spots in the world. In 2005, Taliban insurgents cornered a four-man SEAL team there—only one of them survived—then destroyed the helicopter that was sent to rescue them, killing sixteen more soldiers. According to the film, American military were under fire here every day; they were even shot at while asleep in their barracks. Troops literally seized control from hilltop to hilltop, a hundred yards at a time.

Hetherington and Junger obtained permission to spend the better part of a year (beginning in May 2007) with the Second Platoon, Battle Company in Korengal. Much of their time was spent with the 15-man strategic outpost high on a mountain in the valley, nicknamed "Restrepo" by the troops in honor of their medic Juan "Doc" Restrepo, killed in action shortly after arrival.

173rd US Airborne soldiers during a firefight

Restrepo is not a politicized documentary. There are no interviews with politicians, generals, or Afghans—only the soldiers involved. The filmmakers' goal was simply to tell the stories of the soldiers and show some of what they endured, holed up in an outpost with no running water, Internet, phones, or at times, electricity or heat. If these soldiers needed backup, a helicopter would never arrive in time to save them.

Nor is this a violent bloodbath like many war movies. There is gunfire, sure, and harrowing accounts from interviews describing the violence. But aside from the body of one fallen soldier, we never see anyone get shot or witness the aftermath. The filmmakers wanted to be respectful of the dead and wounded, and it's not as if they could depict Taliban fighters being blown away like a Hollywood blockbuster.

Yet despite the lack of violence on screen, Restrepo is just as experiential as Saving Private Ryan, if not more so since the cameras put viewers in the midst of the encounters. At the same time, it recalls Jarhead and The Hurt Locker in studying the psychology of these soldiers—the tension and tedium of waiting for battle, the heightened adrenaline that comes from being shot at.

Specialists Misha Pemble-Belkin and Ross Murphy relax at Outpost Restrepo

The footage is often remarkable. Cameras literally place us over the shoulder of gunners at the Restrepo outpost. State-of-the-art helicopters are shown overhead launching missiles at enemy targets on nearby mountainsides. I was struck by the casual way these soldiers went about their work, literally making small talk while preparing for a firefight. Similarly, a scene where soldiers are laughing and joking about the Taliban fighters that they just shot to pieces conjures a strange mix of victory and revulsion as they enact gleeful vengeance on the enemy for killing one of their comrades.

Indeed, the interviews and conversations in the film are far more captivating. Hetherington and Junger met with several of the soldiers three months after the end of their deployment. This is how the violence is largely depicted—through the accounts of those involved. Witnessing the toughness and emotion of their experiences through these interviews is powerful.

Also interesting are the scenes where the soldiers attempt to cooperate with the Afghan locals. From discussions between the platoon captain and the local Afghan leaders, it's clear there are frustrations on both sides. In one of the more memorable scenes, a group of Afghan men complain to the soldiers for killing one of their cows. The soldiers explain they put the animal out of its misery after it had been caught in their barbed wire. The men want recompense; the soldiers offer food supplies. The men want cash; the soldiers explain they don't have it. Public relations like these seem like an exercise in futility.

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