Change Your Image
tcanzonieri
Reviews
Happy New Year (2011)
Extremely powerful, accurate depiction of returning from war
As an Iraq war veteran, wounded and still recovering from a gunshot wound in 2007, I can honestly say this is the most accurate and depiction of the issues facing returning combat veterans from the current wars.
Although the director/writer is not a veteran, I think it would be hard to convince a veteran of that fact if they watched the film first. The way Manning was able to so poignantly portray the emotions and experiences of a seriously wounded veteran who ultimately decides the best result is to take his own life is eerily close to my and other veterans I knows story; the film touched on every feeling and emotion a veteran can have, from survivors guilt, disappointment in current condition, not living up to families expectations, inability to cope with a new normal, losing the ones you love, feeling detached - it is almost as if he went through it himself and poured his soul into the script.
A perfect script and story with impeccable dialogue can be ruined by the actors chosen to play it; this is definitely not the case with this film. Michael Cuomo as Cole Lewis is phenomenal - the verbiage, the body language, his interactions with others, all 100% spot on. This could very well be the Marine or soldier on your left or right, the guy playing jokes in the barracks, the leader that cares for you more than himself. The raw emotion and pain he brought to the screen is unmatched in any other military film I have seen thus far, and really is the reason the film is so effective.
I commend all involved with this film for bringing these issues to the forefront of our collective conscious, and truly illustrating the hurdles facing our returning warriors. The most important aspect of the film is that it does not go out of its way to leave the viewer with a happy ending, where everyone is OK. The reality of the situation is that veterans kill themselves, at a rate of 18 per day in the US, and more vets have committed suicide than have been killed in combat recently. These warriors survive the battle in Iraq or Afghanistan to return home and succumb to the battle raging inside. Hopefully this film helps people realize this, and we can work harder to help the veterans that need it most, catching them before it comes to such a tragic end.
I fully recommend this film to all Americans, and again thank all involved for making this a reality.