Equilibrium

There have been a lot of non-fiction films about the war in Iraq during the last couple of years. Most of them tried to uncover ugly stories about the engagement of U.S. and coalition troops like Taxi to the Dark Side or the probably most popular example Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris. It is not the fact that it is not necessary to dig deeper into the dark side of the war in Iraq, but is it not also important to know why people risk their lives in foreign territories they can hardly even pronounce? Jake Rademacher has two brothers serving in Iraq. But why are they doing it, why are they fighting on the front lines instead of watching their daughter growing up or spending time with their fiancé? Jake, the oldest brother, wanted to know why and decided to go to Iraq. This time it is personal. At least in this documentary. Jake Rademacher and executive producer Gary Sinise frequently mentioned that this movie was not political and they are right. Brothers at War has neither an ideology nor a political message.

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)

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Der von mir in diesem Jahr am sehnlichsten erwartete Film, Brothers at War, hat es auch in den Staaten leider nur auf Stützpunkte und in ganz wenige Kinos geschafft. Die von Gary Sinise produzierte Doku erscheint nun aber am 12. Januar 2010 in den USA auf DVD. Zwar ist dies zu spät, um es eventuell in meine diesjährigen Top Filme 2009 zu schaffen, aber ich bin erstmal überglücklich, dass es ihn endlich zu sehen gibt. Der Film gestaltet sich auch deshalb so interessant, da er den Folgen des Einsatzes im Irak auf den Grund geht, was die Kriegserfahrung mit den Männern und Frauen, Familien und Freunden, angestellt hat – sowohl im positiven, als auch im negativen Sinne. An der Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen habe ich vor einigen Semestern ein Seminar besucht, das Milblogs untersucht, in denen die Soldaten Ähnliches berichten.

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.

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Jake Rademacher hat zwei Brüder, die im Irak dienen. Um zu verstehen, was sie dort machen und warum, fliegt er in den Irak, um den beiden bei der 'Arbeit' zuzuschauen. Dabei wird ihm bewusst, was Krieg wirklich bedeutet. Der Trailer zu dieser Doku (480p/720p/1080p), die er ganz einfach Brothers at War nannte, scheint zwar recht einseitig zu berichten – man beachte das viele Pathos im Trailer ("I'd give my life for America any day … wouldn't think twice.") -, aber der viel interessantere Aspekt als das Thema Irak selbst, das ja schon in unzähligen anderen Dokus abgehandelt wurde, ist der Komplex Familie.

Was passiert, wenn Familienmitglieder eines Tages vielleicht nicht mehr zurückkehren? Was, wenn es sogar gleich zwei Familienmitglieder sind? Hinzu kommt natürlich auch der Aspekt des embedded journalism, denn wie der Trailer veranschaulicht, begibt sich Rademacher auch aktiv auf Patrouille mit den Soldaten (zudem wird wohl auch auf das soziale und psychische Verhalten der Rückkehrer eingegangen). Ausführender Produzent ist neben Rademacher selbst übrigens Gary Sinise. Wer auf dem Laufenden bleiben will, findet die Produktion auch bei Twitter. (ich wäre übrigens sehr erfreut, wenn mir jemand sagen könnte, welcher Song gegen Ende gespielt wird)

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