Blood Stripe

I had the privilege of seeing this film at 2016 Twin Cities Film Fest. Right from its opening scene when the film's protagonist first touched down on the airport, I was immediately intrigued by her. Known only as Our Sergeant, she just returned home to Minnesota from her military duty. The film didn't specify which country she was placed in, though later she did talk about her time in Iraq and Afghanistan. The film isn't political, nor does it point finger about the cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers suffer. It's a story about a combat vet who happens to be a female Marine, and the trials and tribulations she goes through in the film.

Despite the dark subject matter, the film is far from somber. It's effortlessly engaging, thanks to Kate Nowlin's immense screen presence. She is tough, powerful yet vulnerable, and Nowlin embodied her character so beautifully. I have to admit I'm not really into war-themed films in general, but I've always been drawn to those that focus on the psychological aspect of the soldiers, i.e. 'The Thin Red Line'. But 'Blood Stripe' captures the brutality of war without actually showing it. It's a mental torture that the 'Sarge' endured, at times she's on the brink of losing it, and it's a truly haunting performance. Director Remy Auberjonois contrasted that mental torment with the striking serenity of Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota.

I was truly in awe by Nowlin's extraordinary performance. She also co-wrote the script so she must have spent a lot of time with her character, but it's still quite a feat given that she had no military training prior to taking on this project. I also appreciate the fact that the film utilized all of the supporting cast well, as each had their moment to shine. Chris Sullivan was terrific as Sarge's husband, as was Rusty Schwimmer who played the camp's caretaker where Sarge worked. Tom Lipinski also did a memorable turn as The Fisherman who befriended Sarge. Last but not least, we've got the venerable character actor René Auberjonois as the church elder Art who's the comic relief in the film.

It's so rare to see female soldiers being depicted on the big screen and I think Nowlin's portrayal does them justice. The enigmatic ending lingers long after the opening credits, this film certainly adds the conversation to the topic of PTSD in a compelling way.

– FlixChatter.net

A sad story of a vet returning home and not being able to cope with the world away from the military.

I'm just a movie novice but I can truthfully say that I enjoyed watching the Blood Stripe movie!

I was caught up in the story from the beginning and really liked all the characters.

Good job by the cast & crew!

This movie is good as anything you'll see in the theater so go ahead and get it. You'll be glad you did.

I get the entire ptsd thing... I really do. Being a US Marine myself, I can relate. But this movie just didnt work for me. The acting was good but the script lacked depth and character development. Plus it was way way to slow. You would think a movie this slow would really have solid character development. Nope not this movie. We are basically left to piece everything together and come up with our own conclusions. The movie has merit but overall just didn't work... Music was decent but the All the poetry References were totally unnecessary and didnt add anything but more confusion. Good attempt but just didnt tell us a story worth remembering.

Blood Stripe is a taut psychological drama about a female marine sergeant who's returned home to northern Minnesota after a few tours in Iraq & Afghanistan. The sergeant deteriorates after this latest tour and tries to find herself by going to a camp on a beautiful lake that she'd attended as a little child. There, she finds a perfect combination of relative solitude and hard work preparing the camp for its winter hiatus, but her damage is too great. The story was written by a husband and wife team (Remy Auberjonois and Kate Nowlin) who directed it (Auberjonois) and starred as the sergeant (Nowlin). What talent! There's no spurious dialog - in fact the sergeant almost never speaks. I know veterans and this is so true to my interactions with them. They never, never talk about their war experiences. There's just a short scene at the lake where the sergeant very succinctly answers questions about her service, but that's it. (This movie is not for you if you need your movies to have a lot of verbosity, backstory, and exposition.) Instead, very much like a Hemingway story, you're given the story through powerful images and terrific acting by Nowlin, Rusty Schwimmer (as Dot, the person who the sergeant helps out at the camp) and Chris Sullivan (the actor now appearing in This Is Us who plays the husband she returns to). I think one of the most powerful things about this film - and the reason I'm gifting it to friends who either regularly stream on their laptops or who have Apple TV - is how much the creative team respects their audience. You're presented this story in a way that allows you to make your own sense of it as it unfolds rather than signaling you with music or other obvious motifs on how to interpret what you're seeing or how you're supposed to feel about it. There are a couple of clues in images and music that helped me recognize the sergeant's deterioration so I never felt that I was dealing with chaos. I've used my Roku projector to play this film for my neighbors and they've all loved it. Even more of a testament, almost everyone has continued talking about the movie when we've gotten together afterwards. One couple we know asked us to put together a screening for a few of their friends.