Director: Samuel Gonzalez Jr
Writer: Samuel Gonzalez Jr, Christopher Lang (Screenplay) Samuel Gonzalez Jr, Christopher Lang, Michael Kuper (Story)
Starring: Arturo Castro, Jonathan Peacy, Kit Lang, Arielle Brachfeld, Laure Malone Hunt, Jason Vail
Plot: After his best friend is drafted to fight in Vietnam, a young man must grapple with the reality of life before and after war.
Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Stark Reality of a War Veteran
Story: Battle Scars starts as Michael (Lang) is graduating high school, only for him to learn that Vinny (Castro) his best friend has been drafted to the army for the Vietnam war, not willing to let Vinny go along, Michael agrees to go with Vinny, to keep him safe.
In the war Michael loses a close friend and finds himself coming home to a not so favourable welcome, dealing with the nightmares of his experiences he suffered over there, turning to whatever, he can to survive.
Thoughts on Battle Scars
Characters – Michael is the main character here, starting of as an enthusiastic student ready to start the big world, only to agree to join his best friends in Vietnam, just as his girlfriend announces she is pregnant, he wants to show his loyalty to his friends, but upon returning he is a different man, a broken man, a lost man, facing no future, left to be a single father, a role he isn’t prepared for, struggling just to keep a roof over his head. We do meet the best friends that are lost at war, the people he meets after war, the people that tried to support, the others that use him and the rest that abuse him
Performances – Kit Lang in the leading role is brilliant, he shows each difficult moment of his life upon his return from war, show us just how difficult returning to society is. The rest of the cast are good, but not enough of them are part of the main story for long enough.
Story – The story here follows a young man fresh out of high school that agrees to go to Vietnam to support his drafted friend, only to see the world in a very different light when he returns, as he struggles to re-enter society the way he had imagined he would, dealing with his own demons of his time at war. This story does highlight the struggles with PTSD that the soldiers returning from war suffered through, we see how without help the soldiers life spiralled out of control, without the study of the problems they faced, they are left with nothing in the world. We see just how much of his life changed, how he never recovered and always tried to see some positive in life.
War – The war side of this film shows us more of the aftermath of being there, rather than the conflict itself.
Settings – The film shows us the different locations that Michael is forced to find himself in as he tries to rebuild his life, some are places no one should be forced towards.
Scene of the Movie – The robbery decision.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We jump forward in time a lot between what happens in the life.
Final Thoughts – This is an important drama that does show us just how important looking after war veterans is, and how there should be more made available to help them.
Overall: Important Drama.
