This Is Not a War Story

This movie is important when the soldier spoke about being , Thanked for his service it was powerful. I was 17 in 1969 great music of love and peace. Viet Nam was raging the draft was on it was crazy. I had my baby in 1971. I don't think they issued SS #'s automatically then . I can't remember but the hospital insisted I name him before I went home. I wouldn't do it but told them I would. I had another boy in 1973 both named boy. I was freaked out about the US Gov and War. My son is 50 now and he started getting notices that he better register for selective service BIG FINES AND POSSIBLE JAIL TIME. Ha Ha! If soldiers refused this service for a hollow TY they would be alive and well. He was so right on just a Pawn in their game. Dylan's Masters of War. Edwin Starr War what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Thank you movie makers for your service great work. Peace.

I think this would have been stronger had it chosen one format, instead of embedding a fictional story inside of a documentary. This made it mentally a bit challenging to navigate. Ultimately, I felt like the fictional component was awkward and tried to do too much with too little space. It gave short shrift to the story of Danny Ramirez's character and his relationship to Will, and the semi-awkward connection between Will and Isabelle focused almost exclusively on Isabelle. That said, Danny Ramirez's acting was stellar.

So much pathos it's disquieting, exactly the way good dramatic cinema should be. With unsung performances by unsung actors, this film embodies everything good about independent film making. It tackles an uncomfortable subject with uncomfortable honesty. The realism is heartbreaking, the dialogue immersing, the acting inspiring. It's not often a movie of this caliber comes along, a shame given the power of the story it tells. As the title aptly suggests, this is, most definitely, not a war movie. It is a movie about consequence, and conscience, and the courage to persevere. I rarely write reviews but this movie was so good I'll do anything I can to encourage others to watch.

Good movie!