Laços de Família

I served 8 years in my state militia which is overseen by the National Guard. My father and stepfather served the military during wartime. My oldest son was deployed to Afghanistan. My wife served in the military for 27 years which meant that for the 21 years we have been together, I have been a military spouse. When she deployed to Kosovo a few years ago, I was stressed out to the max. Non-military people did not understand how I felt at all. My nine-year old son missed his mother badly. Upon my wife's return, we watch this movie and it brought tears to our eyes. It is raw, genuine and hits you between the eyes with military reality. I am very honored to have recently met Claudia Myers, the director, and I am very impressed with her passion to show military life as it actually happens. This is honest film making at its finest.

SSG Swann was in the Afghanistan conflict as a combat medic, and she was exposed to some situations that no human that has not been in combat could understand. I think the film gives viewers a taste of what the most simple encounters there were like. I think it does a great job of explaining that sometimes you can never ever talk to your family or friends about your combat experience, or face judgement from them because of it. I'm not a female, and I'm married with kids, but I have personally witnessed this type of situation unfold. I've only discussed the most....I guess Boring parts... with them. There were some factual errors, sure, but they weren't too far off. If it weren't for the small factual errors (commissary open at night, what?), this would definitely get 10 stars from me.

I had never heard of this film before, I spent 12 years in the Army, been deployed to various countries. I had to leave my child behind. This movie hit home..

Strong and moving......

Don't be fooled by the synopsis. The movie is cute, but her conquest for her son's love is too fast. The great point of the film is not about conquest but choices.

Led by a moving performance by Michelle, the film carries weight with sensitivity, more interested in the pains of post-service reentry than the usual pressures of a war zone.

I spent several years stationed at Bliss while living In El Paso, and in the back of my head I expected more video of the installation. Nevertheless it was a good movie; Michelle and Manolo's performance was remarkable. I'd like to see a Fort Bliss 2 but I don't think it would be as good as the first.