Most intense are the moments at the dinner table before and after Sam's deployment to Afghanistan. The camera hangs on every word, action, and facial expression of the characters clearly communicating the agony or stress of each of the characters. It reminds one of other successful films like American Beauty and Little Miss Sunshine, which employ the dinner scene to great effect.
The children, Isabelle and Maggie, tear at your heart especially when barely contain the anguish they are experiencing when they see that their father has lost the ability to interact with them like he did prior to deploying to Afghanistan.
During the winter scenes, in between intense outbursts by characters, the characters seem to be in a GAP commercial. There is an obvious disconnect between what is happening here and what is happening over there in Afghanistan and one can't help but understand why Sam may feel like he was in such a surreal setting when he returns home. (In fact, he winds up asking to return to Afghanistan because he doesn't think his family can ever understand.)
At the end of the film, the audience is left hanging on the words of Sam who is now receiving psychiatric treatment (or so it appears).
"They say only a dead man sees the end of war, says Sam. "Well, I have seen the end of war. The question is can I live again.
Perhaps, the family in this film---the Cahills---would say the question is can we ever live again. And, maybe the people of Afghanistan who captured Sam and the Afghanis Sam's unit fought against would say the question is can we ever live again.
When you think about what is happening with this Afghanistan War like that, when you really pay attention to the way that each character's life is impacted by war in this film, you really have to doubt the geopolitical agenda of America that Obama is carrying out on behalf of military and industrial interests in America.
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