Body of War

Body of War is an immensely moving portrait of a very heroic young man, Tomas Young. Not only is he an inspiring individual, but so is the team that collaborated to help tell his story.

The robust standing ovation the film, Tomas, Ellen Spiro, Phil Donahue, and Eddie Vedder received following its world premier at the Toronto International Film Festival is indicative of how utterly powerful and courageous, like Tomas, a documentary it is.

Body of War not only exhibits the senseless brutality and arduous (if unthinkable) aftermath brought by war, but also shows us how quickly people can rush to judgment -- even when under the most critical circumstances –- and unconsciously overwrite the blatant lessons many of us hoped were learned from the past.

Hopefully Body of War can encourage present and future leaders, as well as citizens alike, to "slow down" and never rush to judgment, especially when our best and brightest -- such as Tomas –- will undoubtedly be thrown into harms way.

Watch this film.

"No more war"!

Powerful documentary that takes a detailed look at the Iraq war and its devastation by focusing on a single casualty; Thomas Young, a 25 year old enlistee from Kansas city, whose story has been interspersed with political flag waving and Bush-isms.

Thomas enlisted on Sept 13 2011 and was injured after only 1 week in Iraq, shot in the upper chest he was paralyzed and is now on a plethora of drugs to help combat his constant pain and other ongoing medical conditions.

From soldier to anti-war activist, Thomas began to question his decision to go to Iraq and is now an active speaker against the war. His story was emotional and interesting but I have to admit I fast-forwarded through most of the political hoopla and voting house members. I get what the filmmakers were trying to say but frankly it was boring. Excellent original music from Eddie Vedder. 05.13

Body of War had its regional premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX where it was received by a highly sympathetic and supportive crowd. In the emerging cottage industry of Iraq War films, Body of War is one of the best. This is not about the war in Iraq as much as it is about the war at home. It follows in the ground of films like The Ground Truth and War Tapes by focusing largely on the Iraq War veterans.

This film brings the tragedy of the Iraq War into human perspective by allowing us to view it mostly through the eyes of a single disabled war vet, Tomas Young of Kansas City. Tomas was severely wounded in the first few days of the war and is paralyzed from the chest down. He has struggled to put his life back together physically and emotionally. He has also become an activist speaking out against the lies that nearly killed him.

The film intertwines Tomas's story with the footage of members of Congress voting on the War resolution in October, 2002. Its weakness is that the parts about the war vote are at times a little didactic and preachy. However, Sen. Robert Byrd clips and his cameo appearance do add a touch of class. Body of War is a powerful testament to the absurdity and dishonesty upon which the Iraq War was based. Tomas is a hero and he has suffered unspeakable pain, because his country sent him to fight an unnecessary war. He volunteered just after September 11 to go and fight the terrorists that attacked his country and was instead sent to fight to a war against a country that posed no threat to the United States. That is a tragedy both for Tomas and the nation.

Tomas is a true patriot who is now fighting to bring his fellow soldiers home - including his own brother who is currently on his third tour in Iraq. Body of War is an unflinching film that presents some of the most intimate details of Tomas's physical and emotional suffering in order to help us understand how heavy the cost of this war for vets like Tomas. And yet, while the subject matter is disturbing, the film also uses humor and music to present the story in a manner that is not bleak.

Most Americans have been isolated from the true costs of this war. We've been allowed to live our ordinary lives (as the administration cuts taxes) while a small portion of our military volunteers and their families have carried the burden for all of us. This is the type of film that Americans need to see so that we can understand the true cost of the war.

Far too often, this sort of films simply preaches to the choir. It is my fervent hope that Americans who still support the Bush administration and the Iraq war will go and see this very moving and very personal film. There are too many Tomas Youngs who have suffered too much already.

This was a movie by war critics for war critics. I say unconvincing because if I were for the war, the majority of this movie would not persuade me in the other direction.

Cons: hardly any convincing arguments against the war, timing makes it seem like a "vote Democrat this election" film, sometimes appears as though the protagonist was a tool of the hawks and now is a tool of the doves (rather than his own person).

Pros: daily life of a wounded veteran is shown, reminders of the true cost of the war, reminder of the Congressional record and arguments made for/against, the one solid argument is made well by Senator Byrd.

When "Body of War" premiered in Toronto, it reportedly received the longest standing ovation in the festival's history. I wasn't able to see it at the time, and I missed it in Santa Barbara as well. Just in the past few months it's become one of the most acclaimed documentaries in years. So I jumped at the chance to see it here at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival.

Co-produced by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, "Body of War" is about one man's struggle to survive after returning home from Iraq. It takes the news headlines and puts flesh on them. The consequences of a simple Congressional vote have come home to roost in people like 25-year-old Tomas Young, who is now a paraplegic and a physical embodiment of all that is wrong with our government's actions over the past five years.

The cost of war is always reported in terms of numbers -- dollar amounts, casualties, refugees. What isn't reported on the evening news are the individual stories, the tragedies that result in broken lives and broken hearts. Tomas' story is representative of the untold thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- of young men and women coming home from Iraq with life-altering injuries. No, our presence in Iraq isn't just about numbers, and "Body of War" brings it home, literally.

It's obvious that a mind-boggling amount of work went into this project. The film's narrative runs along two parallel tracks. On one, we see the Senate vote taking place which originally authorized the war funding. We see legislators take to the floor with equally impassioned pleas on both sides of the debate. Meanwhile, the film cuts back and forth to Tomas' day to day existence, unflinching, from getting out of bed and dressing in the morning to a graphic demonstration of how to put on a catheter. Nothing is held back.

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder contributed original music to the soundtrack and, as Peter, Paul, and Mary did a generation ago during the Vietnam War, and countless others in wars before that, the songs of protest only serve to underscore the folly that is the Iraq war.

As "Grapes of Wrath" exposed America to transgressions against human lives generations ago, "Body of War" is a bold statement which will stand the test of time as a profound achievement in telling the truth about the consequences of America's presence in Iraq. The film is a masterpiece and one of the most powerful documentaries I've ever seen. A warning: this film will bring tears to your eyes over and over and over again. It will move you emotionally and, perhaps, politically. Very few films are truly worthy of the word "important." This is one of them.