The couple in the row ahead of us got up about an hour and 15-minutes into it Saturday night. I knew they weren’t just going to the bathroom or going to get a refill on their drink–you don’t take your coats with you if you plan on coming back. I’ll be honest, I was tempted to go with them as what I had been seeing was flat out pissing me off–and I almost couldn’t take it anymore. And I’m just talking about watching a movie here.
My wife and I went to see Thank You For Your Service–which is based on the true-life experiences of three Iraq War veterans that struggled to cope with their return to civilian life in 2007. If you think that this is a standard war movie where the Americans come out the heroes or die valiantly while trying to save freedom you are in for a big surprise. Instead, this is a dark portrayal of how we as a country have failed those who have fought for us since 2001.
Denial of psychological issues by military commanders, the overloaded and inefficient VA system and even the failures of support networks at home make you feel as frustrated as the characters on the screen who just want to get some help for the experiences that haunt them. And then they start taking these dark turns that make you feel even worse for them–and that give you some insight into why returning soldiers have such high rates of suicide.
Because the stars of this movie are unknowns to me, it felt more like they were the men they portrayed. If Adam Driver had been up there it would have seemed fake–“Hey, Kylo Ren fought in Iraq”. And because the characters aren’t famous military heroes, there was never that assurance of knowing how this is going to end.
I would like to think that Thank You For Your Service is going to serve as a turning point in our treatment of returning vets. But considering there were fewer than 20-people in the showing with my wife and me–and two of them left halfway through–I doubt it’s going to capture much of the public’s attention. There was a seventh Saw movie to see and fifty different combinations of superheroes to put into films throughout the holiday season that everyone would much rather see.
Nobody wants to be made uncomfortable anymore. Or made to think about what our priorities really should be. You know, the title is perfect as well–because “thank you for your service” has become the automatic response to finding out someone has served their country. But are we really showing them appreciation?
