Directed by erstwhile talk-show host Phil Donahue and filmmaker Ellen Spiro, Body of War focuses on Tomas Young, a 25-year-old Kansas City man shot almost immediately after being deployed to Iraq in 2004. Paralyzed from the chest down, Young underwent treatment for a few months before returning home and marrying his sweetheart. After a period spent mulling the course of his life, Young decided to join his mother in outspoken protests against the war. Body of War chronicles both Young's rise as an anti-war activist and his personal agony in dealing with his injuries. The “body” in the title is his own, which viewers come to know intimately through frank talk about everything from Young's inability to sit up straight to the lack of sexual intimacy in his marriage. Interwoven throughout is archival footage of congressional debates about a bill—ultimately passed—that transferred to President Bush the power to invade Iraq at his sole discretion. Although Donahue and Spiro fail to make a precise point about the ill wisdom of America's actions vis-à-vis Iraq, they do effectively profile the tragic experience of one soldier. Featuring music by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, DVD extras include a music video for “No More,” an MSNBC interview with Donahue and Senator Robert C. Byrd, C-SPAN coverage of House and Senate debates during the run-up to the war, deleted scenes, and an episode of Bill Moyers Journal featuring the filmmakers Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Body of War
(2007) 87 min. DVD: $26.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4229-2269-3. Volume 24, Issue 2
Body of War
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