Hell and Back Again (2011)

There's a mind-blowing moment at the end of Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winner "The Hurt Locker" in which a soldier who has just returned from the horrors of war finds himself standing in an aisle of a grocery store looking completely stunned and incapable of functioning in that space; he doesn't know how to make a decision and he seems to have forgotten what brought him there in the first place. The moment is a powerful and symbolic glimpse into the psyche of a soldier who's seen combat has become another person because of it, a person who has made war his home and can't seem to function in his real, civilian home.

There's a strong connection between this scene and "Hell and Back Again," a documentary directed by Danfung Dennis and nominated this year for the Documentary Feature Academy Award. Anyone who is looking to somehow comprehend what life is like for a soldier who is fortunate enough to return home after combat should see this film, though it is not the strongest movie in a recent hearty batch of Iraq and Afghanistan-focused war films which include the far superior "The Hurt Locker" and last year's amazing documentary "Restrepo."

"Hell and Back Again" introduces us to Sgt. Nathan Harris, a Marine injured in Afghanistan. The film toggles between his days in a leadership war in that war-torn country and the early days he spends adjusting to his return home. His return to North Carolina is compromised by a shattered hip and a leg injury, and Harris struggles to grasp the concept of relying on a walker, not to mention that walking causes him great pain.

But what's more revealing is Harris' inability to get comfortable with his return to his home and his wife. The film shows him casually - even somewhat recklessly - playing with guns while sitting in a room with his family and friends. We see him gripping his head in the passenger seat of a car on numerous occasions, as the sounds of suburban streets intersect in his head with those of helicopter blades and mortar fire. His every conversation is dominated by thoughts of war; he'll casually show off the scar that crosses his buttocks or say enough about himself to receive a sincere thank you or hug from the town locals for his service to our country.

Dennis makes Harris the sole focus of the film and moves between his time and combat and his time at home. Once in a while, these juxtapositions reach artistic levels, but I was left wanting to see that happen more frequently. In addition, Harris' somewhat doofus demeanor and scarred behavior renders him slightly unlikable and/or unapproachable, which is a strike against any film, fiction or non-fiction. I always sympathized with Harris and I'd like to think that I came to understand him. God knows I respect him and am grateful for his sacrifice. I just wish I could like him a bit more.

The wartime footage captured by Dennis, embedded in Afghanistan as a photojournalist at the time, is as intense as it should be, visceral. And the inclusion of this footage helps us understand why and how civilian life is such a boring change of pace for soldiers like Harris. But I'm wondering if the film might have been a stronger one if Harris was not its sole focus. I could easily make a case either way, and it could be said that Dennis' focus on one Marine allows for a depth of coverage that permits us to transfer one's man's experience onto those of any who've served in combat. But is that even fair? I don't feel like I have a right to speculate; I've never been in combat.

I found "Hell and Back Again" to be a worthwhile viewing but more like a TV news special with profanity than an artistically-assembled documentary film. I think it covers a topic that all of us should be made better aware of. But I also think that there are other films on the subject that have done so with a little more depth and flash.

2.5 out of 4