Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007)

              Operation Homecoming         

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan recount their war experiences in this Oscar-nominated documentary, which collects the writings of soldiers and their families to give a deeply personal view of American troops’ involvement in these conflicts. Various visual strategies complement the interviews and readings by such noted actors as Robert Duvall, Beau Bridges, Blair Underwood, Aaron Eckhart and writers Anthony Swofford, James Salter and Tobias Wolff.

REVIEW:  In a sense, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience doesn’t really tell us anything that we didn’t know on an abstract level. But I think there is a lot of value in immersing oneself in the concrete realities of those who serve, and of coming to a more intimate understanding of the human cost of fighting any war.

The photography and the stories are very powerful, and it is very interesting to see many different points of view from several different conflicts.  But more than anything else, this documentary has whetted my appetite to read the book.  I’m a bit surprised that this received a Best Documentary Oscar nod, because it is only an hour long, and is clearly made for television, but I learned something about the soul of the soldier, so it definitely achieves its purpose.

Of the documentaries nominated for an Oscar this year, No End in Sight is clearly the best film.  But this is a nice companion piece.

4 stars
Lori