The War Tapes was filmed by three New Hampshire National Guarsmen deployed in Iraq: Mike Moriarty, along with Steve Pink and Zack Brazzi, whose mom lives in Watertown, Mass and who was born in Lebanon (Zack speaks fluent Arabic).

The film starts with their deployment in March of 2004, and ends well after their return to civilian life. I found myself moved by the small things: such as the minute they arrive at Camp Anaconda, and they raise a New Hampshire State flag and say “We’re home”. What they witness in Iraq is hell, and we see some graphic stuff, but not anything the average adult can’t handle. Dead bodies, foul language, graphic descriptions. But mostly we witness the sheer and utter chaos that reigns in Iraq. Not knowing who your enemy is or where your enemy is; bombs going off, IEDs and VBIEDs, not knowing in which direction to shoot and that sense of knowing you came this close to going home in a body bag. Sixteen months later they board a plane and then a bus and the bus whizzes past the “Welcome to New Hampshire” sign, and passes a New Hampshire State Trooper and again, tears came to my eyes. This is the moment those soldiers have survived for. The last third of the film is about the soldiers lives after returning. It’s clear that the war is not really over for them, as they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, war related aches and pains, and the worst part of all: they’ve been through something that their families and coworkers and comrades back home cannot comprehend or understand. So they are alone, with their nightmares, their flashbacks, with their consciences.

Someone online posted how The War Tapes was propaganda, how it was slanted. Of course, everything has a slant, but this was pretty much on the level, and if it’s slanted it’s clear that efforts were at least taken for it not to be. It doesn’t shy from politics but doesn’t go overboard with them either; two of the soldiers clearly question the war, question George W. and his re-election, though they do not question what they themselves are doing. Brazzi says he’s willing to walk everywhere and recycle etc. because he doesn’t want to go to war for oil. He goes off on a diatribe about the evil of SUVs as he rides in an army tank through Baghdad. When he returns to the States, he becomes a citizen of the US, and he says “A good American loves his country and is suspicious of his government.” The third soldier, Moriarty, is staunchly Republican, with two SUVs back home declaring his love for W. But he still thinks Iraq is the worst thing he’s ever seen and he doesn’t want to go back.

I was profoundly moved by it and I hope a lot of people go see it. It’s hard to watch, but it puts you a lot closer to war than the evening news, and amen to that.