Awesome documentary. Perfect in the complex and deep way it dealt with the subject, in the diverse characters it followed, in its amazing cinematography and edition, in the rich information and close details it captured, in its social and political importance. Divided in three segments, each one about one different Brazilian man who, respectively, will be recruited for Légion Étrangère, is a soldier in Israeli Army, and has been a Mariner. From the dream of glory to the lack of recognition, from the expactation of rights and priviledges to the lack of opportunities or support, the three stories, with respective idiosyncrasies and complexities, compose a quite indentifiable arc. The three characters are very different, deviating from a possible prejudices from spectators (as tough guys who did not care about firing for money), and their deepest motivations seem not to be the same even though all three mention the status. The man who goes to France is a careful divorced poor father, helped by his mother (the girl's grandma), who does not face opportunities to protect his daughter in his dangerous neighborhood. Therefore, taking the risks of fighting in Mali and becoming five year far from his family seems the best way to assure his daughter will have a safer future. His story is moving and it is impreesive how he becomes less and less relaxed as the trip day becomes closer. The second character, who works in abusive and coward Israeli army, harrassing civilian Palestine citizens in their homes and neighborhoods, is the most different of a household chief you may imagine: he is a silly childish teenager who refuses to think politically and faces military as if he were playing videogame. The last character went to the United States to be a Mariner in order to have a new life far from his (at least according to his feelings) dysfunctional family. The war on Taleban and miltary life destroyed him phisically and mentally. Not only his efforts were not praised but he cannot even show his documents as he was considered officially as a failed military. He has no job, slept outdoor on the bench, and now tries to rebuild himself through oriental medical and spiritual techniques, together with his legal struggle against US Armed Forces for recognition. All the details I narrated as far from the experient of watching this delicate and smart documentary.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
