Tag Archives: PTSD

HEART OF THE BEAST – Review

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James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and Odin in Heart of the Beast from Paramount Pictures.

As Fall begins, and with the big awards “heavy hitters” still a few weeks away, the multiplexes could use a good dose of “star power”. Or should I say “Pitt” power? Yes, the Oscar winner returns after burning up racetracks around the globe in F1: THE MOVIE. His newest release doesn’t try to emulate that one’s high-octane thrills and spectacle, nor its shiny CG sheen. Oh, but it’s not a “drawing room” drama, since it has lots of action, suspense, and unexpected “pathos”. It’s an offbeat “movie meal” crafted by Brad’s FURY director. This time they’re not steering another tank in WWII since they’re in the modern day as the duo, along with an amazing canine co-star, journey into the HEART OF THE BEAST.

After a brief fast-forward, we’re introduced to the story’s focus: retired Army Special Forces vet James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his furry “brother in arms” combat canine Odin (Uber), a frisky, dark-haired German Shepherd. James has landed his single-engine floatplane on a lake deep in the Alaskan wilderness. It’s part of their “much-earned” “downtime” in order to deal with the aftereffects of wartime in the Middle East. Their shared wounds are both mental (PTSD flashbacks) and physical (“Odie” lost a leg, and both are scarred). Luckily, the fishing is great, and the quiet is calming…until a chatty hiker (J.K. Simmons) breaks into their solitary “bliss”. Over campfire beers, their “guest” warns James about a fast-moving storm. By morning, the duo is alone once more. Their supplies are loaded into the plane, and, using his piloting skills, the plane breaks past the dark clouds. Then, the unthinkable happens: James is struck with a health emergency (his “ticker” seems to be having an “episode”). They crash to earth, with the plane sinking to the bottom of a lake. After the two reunite, James retrieves some supplies. They’ve no choice but to hike through the wilderness, nearly sixty miles, to reach a road. Can these devoted friends survive the brutality of nature, the weather, and the wildlife before their supplies and strength run out? This could be the greatest battle these wary soldiers have ever faced.

It would be tempting to say this film is a “one-man show”, but really it’s a “one-human show”, with Pitt flexing his emotional acting chops as the “walking wounded” Belmont. For much of the story, he’s stoic, especially when interacting with the “interloper”. Oh, but Pitt “flips the switch,” giving us an energized and engaged James when bonding with Odie. Pushing past his “matinee idol” smoulder, Pitt exposes his vulnerable side when protecting and caring for his animal “soulmate”. It’s joyous to see him taking risky roles so many decades into his film career. Simmons provides some needed levity as the “party crasher’ who helps fill us in the “backstory” of JB and OD. As for the latter, Uber (and his team of stunt dogs and doubles) melts our hearts with his soulful, brown, watery eyes as the challenges of the trek reopen his own past traumas. He’s the “protector” that we’re rooting for James to protect and heal all of their pain.

The aforementioned director who worked with Pitt a dozen years ago is David Ayer. With this work, he’s coming off of a couple of well-received Jason Statham “bone-crunchers”. This one gives Ayer more of a challenge for his filmmaking abilities. He’s balancing the gorgeous scenery with several harrowing stunt sequences, while always reminding us of the emotional commitment in the story’s duo. Much of what works is due to the structure of the script by Cameron Alexander (one of the 2017 “Blacklist” screenplays). It combines elements of other great “sole survivor against nature” films like THE REVENANT and ALL IS LOST. Oh, but it’s not one “soul” since Ayer keeps us emotionally connected to Odin and his plight. The gorgeous location work, with New Zealand doubling for Alaska, almost makes us forget about the long trek…until Ayer reminds us with a raging river to cross and hungry wildlife ready to pounce. As if the incredible plane crash wasn’t enough for our heroes. This leads to a story problem for many who may have a tough time accepting Belmont’s stamina and strength sustaining him over his cardiac “glitch”. Maybe it’s his adrenaline “amping up” in response to the possible loss of Odie ( a little “suspension of disbelief” perhaps is warranted). If you can get past this, you’ll be rewarded with a journey full of terror and surprising tenderness. It’s this love and devotion that propels and powers the HEART OF THE BEAST.

2.5 Out of 4

HEART OF THE BEAST is now playing in theatres everywhere

ENCOUNTER (2021) – Review

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The holiday season is often a festive time for families, with lots of parties and out-of-town guests. But what about those families that are fractured and splintered? That’s one of the subjects explored in this new feature drama that’s out right between the two big special days near the end of the year. And speaking of “the end” that’s just what this now single father is obsessed with. I mean really fixated. Which may have been acerbated by the dissolution of his family and the separation from his sons. But he’s got something of a plan, a rescue that’s more of an abduction. So, when this trio goes on the run, just what will they ENCOUNTER?


The opening scenes of this story are told through the eyes and actions of a man on the run, dishonorably discharged soldier, and parolee Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed). He views lights shooting through the skies, perhaps meteors or asteroids that carry microscopic invaders that are spread to the human race by the insect world (mainly mosquitos). In his squalid home, Malik squashes crawling bugs while dousing himself with aerosol repellant. He packs a bag with cans of spray, clothes, and his pistol before hitting the road for…. Cut to the house where his ex-wife Piya (Janina Gavankar) lives with their two sons, pre-teen Jay (Lucian-River Chauhan) and first-grader Bobby (Aditya Geddada), along with her new beau Dylan (Misha Collins). Bobby seems to have formed a bond with his soon-to-be stepdad while Jay has contempt for him, voraciously reading the few letters from papa Malik. Late that evening Malik sneaks into their bedroom, waking them up with the promise of a great adventure on the road. While Piya and Dylan are locked in the garage, the trio drives off into the darkness, as Malik uses a map to plot the fastest way to the “base”. After a meal stop, he tells the boys he has to check in with the said base. Instead, he places a call to his parole officer Hattie (Octavia Spencer). The brief call sends her to the local somewhat disinterested authorities. But when Malik has a violent episode with a law officer, the FBI. led by “Shep” West (Rory Cochrane), scoop up Hattie for info. Can they track Malik down before he does serious harm to the public, himself, or more importantly, the two youngsters?

The role of the troubled father is another in a growing list of impressive performances by the talented Ahmed (whose voice can also be heard in the recent animated documentary FLEE, which he co-produced). He balances a parent’s protective nature, often shielding the youngest from danger, with a state of heightened anxiousness. At times he’s fervent in his “mission’, but his tenuous grasp on reality will try to derail his mania. Malik dearly loves his kids, but his psychological trauma won’t permit him to be “all there” with them. Ahmed conveys this with his stiff body language, labored breathing, and laser-focused glare. The only person that can calm him is Hattie, played with maternal empathy by Spencer. She wants no harm to come to Malik but realizes that he’s got to be “reeled in”, for the kids’ safety. Spencer’s sad eyes tell us that she’s seen this story of mental illness played out before, with a heartbreaking conclusion. The two young actors are surprisingly good, with no cloying cuteness, but feel real and natural. Geddada as Bobby is still the wide-eyed innocent, full of wonder and eager to get past the “baby’ stage. He’s comfortable with Dylan, but is ready to bond with Malik. Chauhan still holds him up as a hero, but his loyalty wavers as he begins to question his father’s “quest”. Cochrane is also strong as the “hangdog’ Shep, who’s doing his best to prevent a tragic outcome, as he fights his own tired pessimism.

Director/co-writer (with Joe Barton) Michael Pearce imbues the opening sequences with a unique visual style utilizing vibrant micro-photography enhanced by CGI effects and animation to bring us into Malik’s paranoid delusions (he’s living an SF conspiracy). Later on, Pearce gives us a beautiful road trip by day, then morphing into a dangerous hellscape by night, with death lurking past every curve of the pavement. Unfortunately, the story veers into action-cliche territory as many leaps of logic lead to “showdowns” and ‘shootouts”. And before the big finale several characters behave in a way to goes against previous behaviors, mainly to ratchet up the tension for the big third act resolution. But despite the script “glitches”, this talented acting ensemble makes for a most compelling and emotional ENCOUNTER.

3 Out of 4

ENCOUNTER opens in select theatres and streams exclusively on Amazon Prime beginning on Friday, December 10, 2021.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE – Review

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(L to R) Adam Schumann (MILES TELLER), Solo Aeiti (BEULAH KOALE) and Will Waller (JOE COLE) in DreamWorks Pictures’ “Thank You for Your Service.” The drama follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield. Photo Credit: Francois Duhamel/DreamWorks Pictures. COPYRIGHT © Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC

Not all wounds suffered in war are obvious. The fog of war is replaced by the fog of the VA for a band of soldiers returned from Iraq in THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. While several films have depicted the experience of soldiers in the Iraq War, few have told the story of their experience after they return home. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE focuses on gritty reality rather than comforting patriotism as it follows a handful of Iraq War veterans coping with a military that seems far less responsive as they move from soldiers to veterans, and as they struggle to adjust to a civilian life where those who lost a leg are recognized but less so those suffering the wounds of PTSD.

Other Iraq war films have focused on the experience of war but THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE spotlights the obligation of the military to soldiers as they transition to veterans. Miles Teller delivers a sterling performance as Adam Schumann, the de facto leader of this close-knit group. Among this band of brothers are Tausolo Aieti (Beulah Koale), Billy Waller (Joe Cole) And Michael Emory (Scott Haze). On the flight home, they jokes and tease, talk about their plans for the future, and seem eager to get back to civilian life. But part of it is a brave front to cover up troubling problems or even pure fantasy. As they shed their uniforms, a new battle begins.

A new reality greets them as soon as they land, when Schumann’s wife Saskia (Haley Bennett) meets him in the company of her best friend Amanda (Amy Schumer, in a rare dramatic role), the widow of one of the group who didn’t make it home. Amanda is desperate for details on her husband’s death, something Teller’s Schumann is equally desperate to avoid talking about.

The cast also includes Keisha Castle-Hughes, Brad Beyer, Omar J. Dorsey, and Jayson Warner Smith. Cinematography by Roman Vasyanov adds a surprising beauty to ordinary settings, and helps draw out the inner conflicts the men are struggling with.

Writer/director Jason Hall takes a direct, head-on approach to the challenges these vets face, which makes it clear his sympathies lie with these soldiers rather than the system or superior offices. Based on journalist David Finkel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, this film has a far different tone from his last film, AMERICAN SNIPER. Those who disliked that film may find this one more involving and insightful, while those who embraced the earlier film may not care for its hard-hitting stance on the treatment of veterans by the military.

 

One of the first parts of that battle is just the transition from active military to veteran. The military is glad to have them re-enlist and walk them through every step but when it comes to even getting the card to get the veterans benefits they are owed, the men find themselves waiting in huge room of fellow soldiers, facing a bewildering system of forms and with no one to guide them. It is a lot to ask of someone suffering from PTSD and accustomed to military efficiency. On the streets, their uniforms draw thank-yous but no practical help. Once out of uniform and with no obvious wounds, they are expected to fit in with the unforgiving pace of a society that has moved forward without them.

The sympathies of this moving drama are with the returning soldiers rather than military or government they served. When striking scene has Teller’s Schumann in the office of commanding officer that is supposed to be helping him get treatment for his PTSD. While the officer seems like his is going to help, his focus keeps drifting to the online shopping he is doing while trying to help Schumann. It is a perfect illustration of a flawed system, where even personal attention is some how impersonal. The search for help is vital to Schumann but just routine to the officer, no matter how well-meaning he may be.

As the drama builds, all these soldiers go on their own rocky journeys, often trying to tough through on their own. Schumann continues to play a protective role towards the others as he did in Iraq but finally he has to confront his own demons.

Much of why this film works emotionally as well as it does (and it does work better than many recent war films) is due to Miles Teller’s strong, layered performance. Teller has shown himself to be an acting power house in films such as WHIPLASH and THE SPECTACULAR NOW, and here he shows his range in a role of both quiet strength and complex human feelings. The ensemble cast blend well, each adding their own distinct thread, but Teller’s performance is the linchpin.

Although the story is set during the Iraq War, the story is universal one for returning soldiers in modern America. While every veteran’s experience is unique, the film points to some significant weaknesses in the country’s treatment of those who served in war. The U.S. military is very good at war but THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE makes clear it needs some improvement in how those who served are returned to civilian life.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars