| “I
thought I could perhaps make a difference before the election, let people
see the situation, how Iraqis wanted to get rid of Saddam, but also show
what war does to people.” |
| These
were the words, spoken by director David O. Russell, and quoted in an August
16th article in the New York Times, that prompted Warner Brothers to drop
SOLDIERS PAY unceremoniously from its roster. The film, which was graciously given back to the filmmakers to distribute on their own, is a meditation on the current war in Iraq. David O. Russell, together with co-filmmakers Tricia Regan and Juan Carlos Zaldivar, interviewed dozens of people over a six week period, and created a chorus of voices – including veterans of the war, Iraqis who rose up against Saddam after the last war and escaped to the US, journalists, politicians, psychologists, and even a two-star general who led the Marines to victory in the first Gulf War. SOLDIERS PAY is not a partisan film, it listens to people from all sides, and of varying opinions. The film strives to do is give a full picture of a morally ambiguous war, one which is exacting an enormous toll on our soldiers, on Iraq, and on America. |