— RESTREPO — A Film by Sebastian Junger & Tim Hetherington
www.restrepothemovie.com

RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistans Korengal Valley.

Some film-makers quotes:

"We wanted to make the most experiential and visceral war film we could," explains Hetherington.
"We were, to all intents and purposes, part of the platoon, apart from carrying a weapon and pulling guard duty."
Some have argued that by focusing so intensely on the soldiers of Battle Company, Hetherington and Junger ignore the wider political context behind the conflict and the views of the Afghan people themselves.
'Abstract canvas'
"I don't claim to be objective but that doesn't mean I can't be truthful or honest to the experience," says Hetherington.
"People often wonder why the focus is on the American soldiers but understanding what motivates young men in war, understanding how they are likely to respond and act, is central if you're trying to develop a strategy for peace-building efforts."
Hetherington describes Restrepo as a cinematic Rorschach Test - an abstract canvas onto which the viewer imposes his or her own views.
"The far left feel you're a coward unless you make a moral condemnation of the war and the far right feel you're being unpatriotic if you question its rationale, but those two extremes aren't useful," he says.
"By not saying we're for or against the war but by just saying 'this is what it is' we've actually brought disparate communities from different ends of the political spectrum into a conversation.
"How can we know whether we're doing the right thing in Afghanistan unless we ask questions of ourselves about the risk we're exposing the soldiers to?"