Category Archives: PTSD

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Anxiety Attacks, Comedy, Dog Story, Failed Marriage, Feel Good Not For Children, Military, PTSD

Dog (2022)

From IMDB:

Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute comedy-drama.

While not exactly fit for children, this dog story has moments of fun, sadness, and eventually redemption.  Definitely a feel-good film.

1987, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Art appreciation, Art History, Art Treasures, Basically Sad, British, British Drama, Church of England, Classic, Drama, Ethical struggles, Homophobia, Hopeless Love, Love Story, Old-Fashioned, PTSD, Quiet, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sexual Tension, Slow, Small British village, Small gem of a film, Stuttering, Things Left Unsaid, Vintage Film, Wonderful acting, WWI Veteran, Yorkshire Accents, Yorkshire setting

A Month In The Country (1987)

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From Amazon Prime:

Five centuries ago, a mural was created in a country church in the north of England, and then hidden under layers of white paint. Looking at it again will be a distraction, the Reverend Mr. Keach tells World War I veteran Tom Birken, who will spend a month in the country restoring the mural.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this beautiful but sad classic British film which lasts 1 hour 36 minutes.

Direct quote from Wikipedia:

A Month in the Country is a 1987 British film directed by Pat O’Connor. The film is an adaptation of the 1980 novel of the same name by J. L. Carr, and stars Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, Natasha Richardson and Patrick Malahide. The screenplay was by Simon Gray.

Set in rural Yorkshire during the summer of 1920, the film follows a destitute World War I veteran employed to carry out restoration work on a Medieval mural discovered in a rural church while coming to terms with the after-effects of the war.

The film was shot during the summer of 1986 and featured an original score by Howard Blake. The film has been neglected since its 1987 cinema release and it was only in 2004 that an original 35 mm film print was discovered, due to the intervention of a fan.

34 years ago Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh were a mere 27 years old while Natasha Richardson was even younger at 24 years of age.  (Sad note: Richardson died in 2009 from a head injury while skiing.) Has Jim Carter, the head butler in Downton Abbey, always looked the same age his entire life?

For some reason the above quoted summaries fail to mention that the character James Moon (Kenneth Branagh) was also suffering PTSD from World War I.

BEAUTIFUL BUT SAD! (Gooseflesh anyone?)

Amazon Prime, Amnesia, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Government cover-up, Government human experiment, Harmful Medicine, Military, Paranoia, Psychological Thriller, PTSD, Suspense, Uncategorized, War Veterans

Homecoming (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes, including Best Drama Series. Good intentions. Erratic bosses. Mounting paranoia. Unforeseen consequences spiraling out of control. Heidi (Julia Roberts) works at Homecoming, a facility helping soldiers transition to civilian life. Years later she has started a new life, when the Department of Defense questions why she left Homecoming. Heidi realizes there’s a whole other story behind the one she’s been telling herself.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 1 season, 10 episodes of this complete story.  Each episode lasts approximately  a half hour.

Julia Roberts  ( age 57) is no longer a young romantic figure. Instead she does a credible and serious job as a woman unwittingly caught up in a sinister plot that takes awhile to reveal itself.

Bobby Cannavale  (age 48) does a superb job at portraying an amoral and smooth operator in the destructive enterprise.  Here is a man who can put a verbal deceptive spin on whatever scheme his corporation is concocting.  We see a lot of this  behavior nowadays (in plots and political life and military life): characters that convince you that everything is just fine and legitimate using standard business world speech patterns. Meanwhile, in reality, nasty things are happening.  Vietnam?

Stephan James (age 25) is somewhat of a newcomer.  His role here as one of the many victims is well done and convincing.

However, of all the characters I most admired  how Shea Whigham presented Thomas Carrasco, a determined and humble Department of Defense cog-in-the-wheel who stubbornly refused to stop investigating.

Because the episodes are so short, it is easy and compelling to binge straight through to the end.  When you have finished, ask yourself if such a thing could really happen.

2018, Abduction, Action Film, Action Hero, Anti-terrorism, British, British Politics, Car Chase, Career Competition, Complicated, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gangs, Made For TV, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Political Suspense, Politicians, PTSD, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Terrorists, Thriller, Valium appropriate, Violent, War Veterans

Bodyguard (2018)

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From IMDB:

A contemporary thriller featuring the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.

From Netflix:

Sgt. David Budd is promoted to a protection detail for UK Home Secretary Julia Montague, but he quickly clashes with the hawkish politician.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of the only season available.  Each episode is an hour except the last episode which lasts 75 minutes.

In Britain this TV series was a well-deserved smash hit. Character interplay, plot, action sequences, and romance are seamlessly joined. Because certain scenes are meticulously detailed (for example the disarming of a bomb attached to a person), some viewers might at times find the film progress slow. However, for me those details just added to the unceasing tension.  At times I was literally on the edge of my seat.

Purposeful spoiler: the series has a satisfactory end.

WARNING:  British thriller TV series are not squeamish and have no qualms about killing off characters that you might think were essential to the plot.

Gina McKee (who plays Anne Sampson) was familiar to me as the actor who played Irene Forsyte in the 2002 TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.  Along with her character, Richard Madden (as David Budd) and Keeley Hawes (as Julia Montague) steal the show. But all the acting is wonderful.

As far as political thrillers go,  you cannot go wrong with this series.

 

2007, Anti-Arab, B-movie, Barely Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Grisly, Horror, Iraq War, Mental Illness, Murder, PTSD, Ridiculous plot, Violent, War, War Veterans

Stir of Echoes 2 (2007)

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From IMDB:

A soldier returns home from the Iraq war only to be haunted by visions of the dead.

Rob Lowe must have been desperate to play in this horror B-film. At least one of the sub-themes is anti-Arab prejudice resulting from the war in Iraq, which at the time of this review when Donald Trump is spewing out so much hate, is quite relevant. Except for that, however, all the gory monster appearances are not worth your time.

Oddly enough, the acting is good.

Skip this one.

2014, Based on true facts, British, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, Human spirit, Japanese WWII Behavior, Military, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Revenge, Sadism, Torture, War

The Railway Man (2014)

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From Netflix:

Decades after his brutal captivity under the Japanese during World War II, Eric Lomax still has nightmares about the ordeal. But when he unexpectedly meets and falls for Patti, a bizarre coincidence brings his past back into focus.

Harrowing is the first word that comes to mind. My initial reaction was either that war makes beasts of men or that the Japanese are genetic sadists. But in seeing the torture sessions I was reminded that:

In 1898 President McKinley fell to his knees in the White House and had a revelation that he should Christianize the Filipinos (most of whom were already Catholic). McKinley did not know where the Philippines were located. In 1899 American soldiers landed in waves in Manila. Their letters to home said that they had come “to blow every nigger to nigger heaven”. Among American torture methods the most notorious was the “water cure” in which sections of bamboo were forced down the throats of Filipino prisoners and then used to fill the prisoner’s stomachs with dirty water until they swelled in torment. America soldiers would then jump on the prisoner’s stomach to force the water out.

[Material comes from Chapter 2 “Bound for Goo-Goo Land” of the book “Overthrow” by Stephen Kinzer. Henry Holt 2006]

Is the CIA’s water boarding torture similar? “President” Cheney says that water boarding is NOT torture. Tell that to Eric Lomax, the true life hero in this film.

Colin Firth delivers an important role in his career. Nicole Kidman is a beautiful, mature actor. Good directing keeps the film from being over sentimental.

If there is a message, it is one of the final lines “The hating has to stop somewhere.”

Be sure to stay for the explanatory lines just before the final credits.

If you can stand to watch, DO NOT MISS!

1991, Basically Sad, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Dark, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Nudity, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Suicide, Tragedy, Violent, Wonderful acting

The Indian Runner (1991)

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From Netflix:

Sean Penn wrote and directs this poignant drama inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s song “Highway Patrolman.” When small-town deputy sheriff Joe Roberts (David Morse) takes in his troubled Vietnam vet brother, Frank (Viggo Mortensen), things get very rocky. Joe is determined to help Frank make a new life with his pregnant girlfriend, Dorothy (Patricia Arquette), but Frank’s simmering anger threatens to ruin everything.

Before writing this review I had not fully realized how old the film was – 23 years to be exact. Because David Morse (Dr. Jack Morrison of the 1988 “St. Elsewhere”) looked so young, I should have guessed. Such a powerful lineup of actors:

  • David Morse (Joe Roberts
  • Viggo Mortensen (Frank Roberts)
  • Patricia Arquette (Dorothy)
  • Charles Bronson (Mr. Roberts)
  • Sandy Dennis (Mrs. Roberts)
  • Dennis Hopper (Caesar)

WARNING: This powerful, well-written, well-directed, and well-acted film is a tragedy from beginning to end.

Substitute Vietnam with Afghanistan or Iraq and there is no difference.

Well worth a serious watch!

2014, Based on true facts, Basically Sad, Book Review, Crude Talk, Disturbing Image, Explicit sexual discussion, Military, PTSD, Torture, Violent, War, War Veterans

Redeployment (2014)

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From GoodReads:

Phil Klay’s Redeployment takes readers to the frontlines of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, asking us to understand what happened there, and what happened to the soldiers who returned. Interwoven with themes of brutality and faith, guilt and fear, helplessness and survival, the characters in these stories struggle to make meaning out of chaos.

From Phil Klay’s blog:


Phil Klay is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in Iraq’s Anbar Province from January 2007 to February 2008 as a Public Affairs Officer. After being discharged he went to Hunter College and received an MFA. His story “Redeployment” was originally published in Granta and is included in Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, the New York Daily News, Tin House, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012.

When I started reading “Redeployment” I was horrified at the language and writing style which reminded me of a C-student in a slow track in high school. But the story itself is tragically interesting. After reading more chapters I realized that each chapter is written in the voice of some particular character. Here are some examples of some chapters:

  • REDEPLOYMENT: Told by an uneducated young man who volunteered.
  • FRAGO: Description of a house raid.
  • AFTER ACTION REPORT: Timhead’s first kill is a young boy and he suffers a lot of anguish.
  • BODIES: Lonely Marine at home visits his former girlfriend.
  • OIF: An unreadable satire featuring the military alphabet soup of acronyms.
  • MONEY AS A WEAPONS SYSTEM: American bureaucrat in Iraq eventually learns the impossibility of getting anything done.
  • IN VIETNAME THEY HAD WHORES: Frank discussion of the sexual practices of military personnel.
  • PRAYER IN THE FURNACE: Military chaplain gives his side of the picture.

So far the above chapters cover about half the book and the list goes on.

“Redeployment” may be worth your time for the content rather than the several styles.

But the summary remains the usual: War is hell and destroys soldiers, especially the ones who physically survive.

2012, Drama, Explicit sex, FilmReview, Love Story, Nudity, Personality or religious cult, Psychological Drama, PTSD, Talking Heads, Unusual, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

The Master (2012)

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From NetFlix:

Freddie, a volatile, heavy-drinking veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new “religion” he forms after World War II.

Put Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman together in the same story (even better, in the same cult) and you get a really well acted film with an intriguing and always surprising plot. Hoffman plays the cult leader called “The Master” who goes by the name Lancaster Dodd. Scene after scene shows what a fraud Dodd really is. But what is cult-worthy is how the members of cult practically worship their fearless leader.

While Hoffman is doing a “masterful” job as charlatan, Phoenix plays to scary perfection Freddie the violent (WWII) PTSD drunk who has attached himself firmly to The Master who is indeed a master at using quasi-hypnosis to soften his victims’ self-hate. Freddie feels better under tutelage despite his many lapses into drunkenness, stealing, and physical violence. Even more insidious The Master tells Freddie that he, The Master, is the only person on the planet that loves Freddie. No wonder Freddie so blindly worships The Master even to the point of violence.

Looking at Joaquin Phoenix is uncomfortable. He is skinny, misshappen, hunched, almost limping rather than walking, sexually maladjusted, and often acts in a manner that is just plain weird. He has this way of putting his hands on his waist so that his body is twisted. When Phoenix puts his heart into a role he goes all the way, even if it is embarrassing to watch. His rages are so uncontrolled and overpowering (despite his diminutive size) that it takes three men to subdue him. In real life he is 38 years old but I think he looks older.

What eventually happens to Freddie? You will have to watch this strange film through to the end to find out.

2011, Clever Plot, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, FBI, Made For TV, Mental Illness, Military, Nudity, Plot Twist, PTSD, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suspense, Torture, Wonderful acting

Homeland (2011)

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From NetFlix:

When Sgt. Nicholas Brody, an American prisoner of war, returns home after eight years of captivity, frantic CIA agent Carrie Anderson suspects the Marine of having been turned into an Al Qaeda terrorist in this espionage drama from Showtime.

At the urging of a neighbor, I have started watching season 1 of “Homeland”. For months the title sat at the top of my NetFlix queue before it finally arrived. This TV series deserves to be so popular.

Part terrorist film, part treatment of family problems of a Marine returning from Afghanistan, this film is hard to stop watching. Acting is excellent. Expect a lot of surprise twists.

If Claire Danes (who plays Carrie Mathison) was not well known before this TV series, she will certainly make her mark with this work. She plays an FBI agent looking for a terrorist while taking medicine to combat her manic depression.

Damian Lewis (who plays Nicholas Brody) is actually British. His American accent is flawless. You might remember him as Soames Forsyte in the British TV series “The Forsyte Saga”.

Morena Baccarin (who plays the wife Jessica Brody) first came to my attention as the alien queen of the remake of the TV series “V”.

Currently only season 1 is available on DVD because season 2 is now playing. Because the story is so intriguing you won’t forget season 1 while you wait for season 2.

DON’T MISS THIS TV SERIES!