Review of The War Tapes (2006) by Hamdan S — 27 Jan 2008
Ultimately, war is a story about people. Their thoughts and experiences in exceptionally strange and trying times which both make and break a person. The brilliance of the premise for this show is to let the soldiers tell their stories with video cameras they bring along to a war zone.
In this case, 3 National Guard soldiers from New Hampshire sent to Iraq in 2004. The director, Deborah Scranton, has brought to us a unique insight into these soldier's lives, the conditions under which they serve and the stories of their families and loved ones as they await their return home.
It is brutal in its honesty and never veers off to being didactic or deliberately political in any way. Two of them particularly intrigued me, Sgt Mike Moriarty, a true patriot who has a family and Sgt Zack Bazzi, Lebanese born but raised in America.
It's fascinating the degree of differences these two men have and also the common links that bind them as serving citizen soldiers. Bazzi especially seems to give us a bridge to the other side with his fluency in Arabic and raised in a Shiite Muslim family.
What was most poignant about the show was how they changed after they got back and you could feel that they were still in the war even after leaving it all behind. Exceptional and a must watch if you're interested in what these men have to say.
This review of The War Tapes (2006) was written by Hamdan S on 27 Jan 2008.
The War Tapes has generally received very positive reviews.
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