The Hurt Locker is an Oscar winning movie that takes place during the Iraq War. It centralizes around an Army Bomb squad that’s the top of its class. The movie describes in amazing detail how tough it is for the men in this high stress job, and environment. There are quiet moments of them alone, explaining further the hardship it takes, and most importantly in the end the addiction of war.
Growing up as an Army brat there have been many movies that feel especially real to me because of stories and photos passed down from my father. But in particular The Hurt Locker does even more for me where the main character is in a moment of his own. I have always wondered and examined what goes through my father’s head in situations like dismantling a bomb or attacking a camp, and this movie actually puts me there. There is almost a moment of silence and peace and just your own heart beat and breathing when something that intense is happening. Instead of loud guns and yelling, according to my dad, that it’s really serene in a weird way. Also the addiction of war and the need to be deployed is a real and honest emotion & addiction, and I think this is one of the only war movies that touch on that VERY important aspect.
The type of realism this film used is a very personal one. Sometimes war movies can be too staged and too loud, which is what doesn’t seem real to those who have actually been in war. There is probably some kind of “coded” realism that isn’t apparent to everyone and that’s what makes it such an interesting film, it has a different spin on what’s been usual before. There isn’t a lot of action or music during the “real” scenes just breathing and white noise in your own mind. I think that’s what enhances the film’s realness.
Kasey Hartsock
No comments:
Post a Comment