A tiny film with enormous implications is making its way to movie theaters across the country right now. The War Tapes chronicles 16 months of active duty in Iraq as filmed by three National Guardsmen from New Hampshire. They each agreed to carry digital video cameras with them during their tour and allow the “viewers at home” to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the thick. The film, like the “war on terrorism,” is messy and unwatchable at times and full of contradicting messages as you hear and see the thoughts of these volunteer soldiers change (or stay rooted in their beliefs) over the course of 16 months.

The War Tapes is full of moments that will leave you breathless, but I found a particular scene with SGT Zaher (Zack) Bazzi incredibly moving. Born and raised in Lebanon for the first ten years of his life, Bazzi and his family eventually moved to the US. He joined the National Guard and was eventually deployed with the rest of his company to Iraq. Upon returning from his tour, Bazzi joins hundreds of other immigrants (dressed in his Army fatigues) in an mass ceremony to be sworn-in as an American citizen. While everyone cheers at the end of the ceremony, we watch Bazzi’s face — blank and distant, almost resigned — and bask in the irony.

Because of its earnest (and successful, in my opinion) attempts to provide an unfiltered look at the war from the perspective of reluctant and gung-ho soldiers alike, The War Tapes may very well do for the war in Iraq what Robert Greenwald’s Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices accomplished in mobilizing thousands to challenge the ubiquity of the big box giant. Find a screening near you and mark your calendar.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 at 10:45 am by Jason Kucsma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.