My intention is to shift social consciousness from apathy to a greater sensitivity and inspire a nation to care- to do more than repeat cliched “support the troops” rhetoric. My goal is to create a grassroots movement “to give back” through raising awareness of vital issues and encouraging active participation within all veteran communities. The brave voices in this film walked this same painful journey before finding their way back home, and they offer invaluable guidance and illumination. By sharing their stories, they want to instill hope to all those suffering from the hidden, invisible wounds of war, as well as help to eradicate the stigma often associated with getting help for Post Traumatic Stress.
There is tremendous power in documentary film, the ability to change a collective viewpoint. Watching veterans and their families express themselves on camera is incredibly moving, and the catharsis and validation is deeply empowering for the individuals interviewed. In these heartbreaking stories, full of raw candor and emotion, we discover a common connection to our human journey and the broken spirit we have all experienced at one time or another.
The visceral emotion we feel as we watch and become affected by a film can have a profound effect within the very cells of our body, motivating us to create an entire movement towards healing on many levels. In her book Trauma and Recovery, psychiatrist Judith Herman writes, “the interpretation of what seems to be a cathartic experience for the participant can also be seen as a means to initiate a collective working through trauma within the audience. Since we have gone through the act of listening, we too can function as a witness.”
And if we bear witness together, we can heal together.
