Auf der DOK Leipzig ist in diesem Jahr unter anderem auch Human Terrain zu sehen: eine Doku, die zeigt, wie das US-Militär verstärkt versucht Geisteswissenschaftler zu rekrutieren, um den 'Kampf der Kulturen' für sich zu entscheiden. 'Cultural awareness' ist dabei das Stichwort, und so bemüht man sich um Anthropologen, Soziologen und Co. Die Doku geht dabei auch auf den konkreten Fall eines jungen Akademikers ein, der nach seinem Stipendium in Oxford den Streitkräften als Mitglied des Human Terrain in Afghanistan diente und 2008 durch eine Sprengfalle getötet wurde. Wie sagt die Synopsis treffend? "What happens when war becomes academic and academics go to war" Hoffentlich auch außerhalb des Festivals bald zu sehen.

(Danke, Patrick)

It is rather a portrait of just two brothers representing 1.5 million people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The movie shows what it means to be a soldier, to serve in Iraq and to leave everything behind, especially their families. Brothers at War therefore is an ambiguous title for the movie, because it is not only about the two brothers Joe and Isaac but about their fellow soldiers, their brothers. It does not matter which soldier Jake Rademacher asks, every single one tells him that these guys are the closest friends they have ever got. War is not the big adventure as often portrayed in movies, it is an often ugly truth that asks the soldiers to watch out for each other and to care about your brothers. That does not mean that everyone being portrayed is an altruistic human being. We also get acquainted with a moody Marine that seems to hate training Iraqi forces. But as soon as they get in a firefight he likes being with them, caring about them and afterwards complementing them on their professional behavior.

Another soldier complains about the people back home on the other hand complaining about food that is not fresh enough or people that get mad only because they have to wait too long for whatever. However, he would not like to swap with them and confesses that it is them he is fighting for. "I would give my life for America any day, wouldn't think twice", another soldier states. They are not reciting cheap Hollywood movies but show their deepest convictions. Radmacher finds the perfect balance of focus, because he does not only focus on his two brothers, he focuses on all the people who are involved in Iraq and sacrifice something. "I've lost a brother, too", an Iraqi interpreter tells Rademacher. But more important Rademacher also wants to experience something about himself in taking on his brothers. Where does his family, his father and his mother, his sisters and his third brother stand? What about Joe's fiancé and Isaac's wife and daughter? It is remarkable how honest and emotional the women are, especially in front of the camera.

"He's the one to make the world a safer place for her [his daughter] to grow up in", Isaac's wife tells Jake. They are all fully convinced of what they are saying, and you can see and feel that in every single interview, in every single minute of the movie. It is these people who keep them grounded. In the beginning of Brothers at War Jake says that he would consider his family as "all-American" — and it is not only often confirmed in the course of the movie but it is also the reason why Rademacher's portrait is representative for all American families that are confronted with this issue. Brothers at War shows a broad variety, because it is plain material which was captured by Rademacher and his crew. And although Rademacher is no professional filmmaker he achieves to capture the beauty of the country, the beauty of friendship and the beauty of the people in sometimes magnificent pictures that could easily descend from a Hollywood fiction film. His movie impressively shows the strength of documentary filmmaking, and that a documentary can sometimes be more suspenseful than a piece of fiction-film.

Brothers at War is the movie all service members and their families deserve. Rademacher's material is sometimes more intense than the embedded journalism material we see on TV. The movie varies from humor to suspense, from emotion to excitement, and is always spot-on. It is the most honest and closest look at the people who really sacrifice their lives. Every day. Every moment. When the end credits roll and John Ondrasik's fantastic song 'Brothers in Arms' plays you know that you just witnessed something special. The DVD is out today and features deleted scenes, audience reactions (which understandably seemed to love the movie: "I think that every American should see this movie!"), and a feature in which Jake Rademacher comments on the making of the film. (9/10)

Johanna Roering, M.A., die das Seminar leitete, untersucht die Darstellung von Krieg in Film und anderen (neuen) Medien in ihrer Dissertation und hat zu ihren bisherigen Seminaren – u.a. auch zu dem von mir besuchten – Wikis angelegt, die die Arbeiten der Studenten dokumentieren und einige interessante Einsichten in diesen Themenkomplex geben. Mein Essay über 'Pathos in Milblogs' wird in den nächsten Monaten weiter ausformuliert und auf den modernen US-amerikanischen Kriegsactionfilm angewandt. Jake Rademacher und dem Film kann man übrigens auf Twitter und Facebook folgen. Zuletzt sei auch noch auf Five for Fighting verwiesen, dessen Sänger John Ondrasik den wunderschönen Titelsong zum Film geschrieben hat.

Green Zone heißt die neueste Kollaboration zwischen Matt Damon und Paul Greengrass, dessen erster Trailer (480p/720p/1080p) doch Lust auf mehr macht. Damon ist im Irak als CIA-Mann auf der Suche nach Massenvernichtungswaffen und einem Auslandskorrespondenten – natürlich läuft dabei so einiges nicht nach Plan … Ich bin gespannt, wie viele Parallelen zu Body of Lies vorhanden sein werden – und natürlich zu The Bourne Supremacy und The Bourne Ultimatum, was an und für sich gar kein Nachteil wäre. Das Drehbuch stammt übrigens aus der Feder Brian Helgelands und mit John Powell hat man dann auch den Bourne-Komponisten mit an Bord. Deutscher Start ist am 15. April 2010.

(Via F5)

Die Kritiker scheinen die Doku schon jetzt zu lieben, das zeigen nicht nur die eingeblendeten Zitate im Trailer, sondern auch ein Blick auf Rotten Tomatoes. The Way We Get By lief immerhin auch schon auf zahlreichen Festivals, unter anderem auf dem SXSW, wo sie den 'Special Jury Award' gewann. Leider steht noch kein Starttermin in Aussicht (geschweige denn in Deutschland), aber mit Brothers at War ist das sicherlich einer der Filme/Dokus, auf die ich mich dieses Jahr (noch) am meisten freue.

"New media have become a part of our daily lives, influencing the way we communicate, build relationships and order information. Additionally, new media are significant in shaping the way in which politics and war are articulated and mediated. The first half of this course on new media and the Iraq War will be concerned with key theoretical texts spanning from the late sixties to the current Web 2.0 excitement with a focus on Blogs as one of the major online media types. In the second part of the semester, the class will focus on Blogs authored by soldiers and civilians in Iraq. These firsthand accounts will be analyzed within the framework of the media culture surrounding the Iraq War." (Universität Tübingen)

Ich halte es deshalb für erwähnenswert, da ich mit Johanna Roering, M.A., nicht nur eine ehrfahrene Dozentin habe – sie war bereits auf 3sat in neues zu diesem Thema zu sehen (hoffentlich liest sie das jetzt nicht und denkt, ich würde auf Grund des Scheines diese Schleimspur hinterlassen) -, sondern weil ich auf das öffentliche Wiki zum Seminar hinweisen will, das sicherlich einige interessieren dürfte. Schließlich sind Blogs, egal mit welcher Thematik sie sich beschäftigen, einer der Kernpunkte des Web 2.0.