The Invisible War (2012)

An investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military.

Director:

Kirby Dick

Writers:

Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering (additional writer)

Stars:

Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, Kori Cioca

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amy Ziering	...	Herself - Interviewer
Kirby Dick	...	Himself - Interviewer
Kori Cioca	...	Herself - US Coast Guard
Jessica Hinves	...	Herself - US Air Force
Robin Lynne Lafayette	...	Herself - US Air Force
Ariana Klay	...	Herself - US Marine Corps (as Lieutenant Ariana Klay)
Trina McDonald	...	Herself - US Navy
Elle Helmer	...	Herself - US Marine Corps (as Lieutenant Elle Helmer)
Hannah Sewell	...	Herself - US Navy
Rob McDonald	...	Himself - Kori's Husband, US Coast Guard
Robin Khale	...	Herself - US Marine Corps
Ayana Defour	...	Herself - US Army
Christina Jones	...	Herself - US Army
Debra Dickerson	...	Herself - US Air Force (as Ret. Captain Debra Dickerson)
Regina Vasquez	...	Herself - US Marine Corps

Storyline

An investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

military | rape | soldier | raped by a soldier | rapist | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Guerre invisible

Box Office

Gross USA:

$71,968, 28 February 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chain Camera Pictures, Rise Films, ITVS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

A rare example of a film actually influencing government/military policy, end credits state that "On April 14.2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, watched this film. Two days later, he took the decision to prosecute away from unit commanders." However, it was noted that "this is not enough." The preceding is a true statement, but can be misleading. Military Commanders still hold prosecutorial discretion, but they can no longer be in the unit where the alleged misconduct had taken place. An "outside, higher ranking colonel" would now hold prosecutorial discretion.

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Quotes

Kori Cioca - US Coast Guard: Thank you for your sacrifice, in whatever shape it may come with serving. God Bless.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #22.53 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Need Someone
Performed by Mary J. Blige
Courtesy of Geffen Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A powerful documentary

Rape in the military is about as thorny and intractable a problem as deciding whether to go to mid-east war or not. The Invisible War solidly makes the argument that the military judicial process for rape is deeply flawed, if only because commanders are given the absolute right and power to determine how the accusations are handled.

Think about it: the commander could be the assailant or a friend and can dismiss a case with little recourse for the aggrieved soldier. This documentary hammers home both statistically and in practice how frustrating the process can be, sometimes leading to suicide. A recent court decision that rape is an "occupational hazard" doesn't help anything.

At the least, husbands and wives become tense or split; rarely is a marriage unaffected by the rape. For singles, the sympathy is not overwhelming, and without a support group, it is lonely out there to take on the chain of command. In a macho world where team attitude is high priority, rape allegations are not welcomed, especially if the rapist is the commanding officer.

As I find in many documentaries, only one side is examined (Michael Moore being the leading exponent of the lopsided argument). In the case of The Invisible War, we are well served with victims who get no satisfaction, but we don't experience fully the case where the accused is found to have been wronged by the accuser. However, the doc does an effective job with the stories of women who accused but rarely gained a conviction.

The percentage of adjudicated cases where the accused is found guilty is small. Given the thousands of allegations, that number seems too small. At any rate, after seeing this documentary, Secretary of Defense made a bold decision that confirms the efficacy of a well-made documentary.