Runtime: 96 minutes
There is Wendy, born Mexican and sent to Iraq at 19: she saw the hell of war in a combat support hospital; Jason's psychological suffering, his medication, as well as his refuge in song, his poignant lyrics and haunting voice; the angel-faced Ryan's rage, deep political about-turn and activism; Lisa, a police officer in one of America's roughest neighborhoods of Chicago, a single mother shocked by her presence at Abu Ghraib’s infamous prison; David, an officer who thought he was immune to conflict after eight combat tours, who was never the same after Iraq; and finally Vinny's multiple lives, torn between loyalty to the Marines and disgust with what he saw and did in Iraq.
The personal deconstruction that follows their homecoming is not often visible, as they drink in secret, hide their pain, as they are misunderstood and marginalized. After their initial revulsion, they search for their identity and question their backgrounds. They turn their psychological troubles into a means of social, political or artistic expression.
These Veterans have chosen to confront their experiences with a society reluctant to face the reality of war and its impact on soldiers, families and communities. The power of the film comes from what the traumatism of a few individuals says about the troubles of an era. But above all, it will be an ode to the force of survival and the will to live.
This film is haunted: by the figure of an "unknown soldier," Jeff, who incarnates the 23 veterans who commit suicide every day in a (still) scandalous relative indifference in America today.
Click here for more information: On The Bridge
Screening: Friday, November 11, 5:30PM at 217 East 42nd Street Reserve Seats