Restrepo-2010

Directors Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger

Scott’s Review #514

Reviewed November 10, 2016

Grade: B-

Restrepo (2010) is an informative documentary concerning a group of American soldiers sent to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban.

Filmmakers spent a year following this group of men, documenting their experiences, pains, losses, and joys.

Camera crews follow them almost non-stop.

The most interesting aspect of this piece is the camaraderie that is evident among the soldiers- a bond that is a brotherhood of sorts.

Friendships that develop amid peril will undoubtedly never be broken or tarnished.

The fear and worry that these soldiers go through- under the constant uncertainty of attack, far away from their families- is powerful.

Slight gripes are the redundancy of the documentary’s subject matter. The projects developed around one war or another seem endlessly repetitive.

I freely admit this is an important matter, but while watching Restrepo, I couldn’t help feeling that I’d seen other versions of the same documentary before, not to mention in mainstream film.

The war experience is a popular story to tell.

I also got the sense of an ‘us against them mentality in this documentary, which is not always a good thing.

More about the relationships with the “good” Afghan people might have been nice.

Overall, though, Restrepo (2010) is a decent, interesting documentary.

Oscar Nominations: Best Documentary Feature

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Documentary