STOP-LOSS
(Directed by Kimberly Pierce; 2008, US, 112m)
Review By Carolan Guernsey
What happens when your boss breaks your contract? If he’s the President of the United States, you’ve got a problem. When decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty, he tries to resume the life he left behind. But when the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq against his will – the President has invoked “Stop-loss,” the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty -- the conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor. In August 2007, Iraq Veterans Against the War, an activist organization of former and current service members, announced a national "Stop the Stop-Loss" campaign during a week-long vigil in a tower erected on the National Mall; other anti-Stop-Loss vigils have occurred in Bellingham, Washington, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. In March of this year, a group of college students, supported by Code Pink and Iraq Veterans Against the War, as well as several other organizations, issued symbolic stop-loss "orders" to every member of both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in protest of both the practice of stop-lossing and of the Iraq War. The students "enforced" the orders by blocking off the exits to the parking garages of the Rayburn House Office Building and the Hart Senate Office Building.
Stop Loss is an MTV-Produced film targeted at an MTV generation. It is filled with the music of the very generation that is fighting in Iraq and supporting and suffering at home: Snow Patrol “Open Your Eyes”, 4th25 “Matter of Time”, Drowning Pool “Bodies”, and Toby Keith “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue”.
Director Kimberly Pierce has a relatable young cast, including popular Ryan Philippe…(Crash,) uber-hip Joseph Gordon Levitt (Brick,) dreamboat Channing Tatum (She’s the Man,) and we-all-want-to look-like Abbie Cornish (Elizabeth the Golden Age.) She has chosen wisely, however. This is no Kenneth Branagh casting Keanau Reeves in Much Ado About Nothing 15 years ago, only to discover he couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. This cast not only has the appeal to attract its young target audience, but the power and substance to connect their audience with its challenging subject matter once they are in the theatre.
Further, this film manages to reach beyond its primary demographic…and touch viewers of any community that may experience it.
At last night’s opening of the DC Labor Film fest, members of several communities were touched by Stop Loss together. We were an audience blended of strong union members, indie film fans, and many veterans and family members.
There was audible weeping from the audience last night during a funeral sequence…and also wild applause when Brandon, a decorated soldier, a US Army poster boy, follows very simple logic and exclaims, “Fuck the President!” in response to his commanding officer’s weak argument to get him in line and accept his stop loss orders. That applause could have come from anyone.
Festival Director Chris Garlock said in his pre-show comments that he feels strongly about “using film to organize…and to promote peace and justice.” The term “stop loss” refers to the involuntary extension of a soldier's enlistment contract. Stop-lossed soldiers as depicted in this film have precious few resources to organize, and precious little official support from our government. A labor film festival such as this one might be just the point soldiers (and their family members) need to start a dialogue about organizing toward a solution to this issue. Attending the festival with union members provides them with invaluable human resources available on-site.
Pierce has constructed a bridge between generations MTV to Vietnam to the Greatest Generation…her film and the unique shared experience provided by the DC Labor Film Festival are a powerful combination.