The first thing that struck me is how lush and beautiful the Korangal Valley is. I suppose you get the impression of Afghanistan as this harsh, dessert wasteland, but the Korangal isn't too much different than the American southwest. Another striking feature is just how rough the terrain is. Afghanistan is infamous for being mountainous, but it's not until you see the villages dug into the sides of the hills and the sharp maze of "spurs" that you really appreciate that this is not an easy land to navigate. The beautiful landscape is soon contrasted with the ugliness of war, and the frequent skirmishes between the Americans and the Taliban become a daily part of life.
Lack of Infrastructure: This is one of the major themes in the film. Most of the time spent with the Americans takes place in a little hovel of a base called OP Restrepo. It was built ontop of a hill by the Americans using picks and shovels. They have no running water, no electricity, and very little in the way of any sort of modern comforts. It's somewhat surprising to think that even today U.S. soldiers are living and fighting out of what are little more than tents and basically living on the bare ground. The position is fortified with the lowest of the low tech - bags of dirt - yet still manages to sport some impressive weaponry.
In fact the American's don't have much more than the local population, who live in stone houses dug mainly into the mountainsides and hills. The film follows the Americans as they go on frequent patrols and occasionally interrogate the local population, searching for Insurgents and contraband. This leads into the next theme...
Tensions: I got the impression that the "hearts and minds" campaign isn't going very well. The villagers seem to be respectful of the Americans, but you get the sense that this is motivated by fear, and that there is a deep distrust for the soldiers. The Americans may often show up abruptly at peoples homes, going door to door and looking for intelligence on the Taliban or a number of other things. I think most people have experience with salesmen or people looking for donations who go door to door, and how unpleasant is can be having strangers approach you wanting your time or money. It's hard to imagine though what that's like when these strangers come in groups of 10 or more, armed with automatic weapons. I can't blame the Afghans for disliking or even hating the Americans, and I'm sure the Americans don't enjoy having to do that kind of work either.
We get to sit in on several Shura with village elders and the American commanders. These meetings are apparently an attempt to get the locals involved in decision making, and to give them a sense of responsibility for their own futures. They don't appear to be very productive for the most part though. The Americans don't seem to take the Afghans very seriously and are not willing to compromise much, and the Afghans are not willing to forget the injustices and grievances they have. Perhaps its the start of progress, but I think at least in the Korangal American and Afghan relations have a long way to go.
Unseen Enemy: Throughout the film, despite the numerous firefights we never actually see the Taliban. I don't think this is intentional either, but rather speaks to the guerrilla nature of the war. The Taliban seem to employ "shoot and scoot" tactics, taking advantage of the rugged terrain to disappear after they've unleashed a volley of gunfire on the Americans below. They often shoot at the Americans from across the valley, which puts them at a great advantage - they always know where the Americans are, but the Americans never know where they are. The difficulties in fighting this kind of war, coupled with the difficulties of daily life, are made apparent in this film.
Cost of war: The movie is named after "Doc Restrepo" a soldier who was killed there during deployment. We also hear the names of other soldiers who were killed, and even are witness to a Sergent killed in a particularly hair-raising battle. It's not just the Americans who suffer losses though, we also see the devastating effect of an air strike on a home in a village. We see injured women and children standing around, terrified and helpless as the Americans go through the rubble looking for weapons. In one shot a man stands in silence holding a small injured child in his hands, and the hatred on his face for the Americans who are casually walking around him is obvious, and frankly I don't blame him. No one in that position would react in any other way than to hate the people who nearly killed your family. Both sides face losses, the Americans and the Taliban. but somehow I feel the villagers and the local people are the ones who really suffer.
Restrepo is great because it doesn't attempt to filter the war, put a slant on things, or send any type of message. It's simply an honest account, and the viewer is left to make up his own mind - even if that means making the Americans don't end up looking good. It's a welcome relief from some of the bullshit reporting that the major news networks show on T.V. and I think would be a big surprise to the average American. The themes that arise naturally in the film run deep throughout all of Afghanistan, and are at the heart of this ten year war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment