Children of Soldiers

Many documentaries about contemporary military operations in Afghanistan focus so strongly on the U.S. presence that it's easy to forget that other nations also have troops in the country. Claire Corriveau's documentary looks at how the children of four Canadian families are coping while a military parent is serving overseas. Some of the young people interviewed here respond with a surprising frankness—one young man, for example, remarks that his father's absence makes life “a bit nicer” because he was “always yelling” when at home, while others prefer not to listen to the news lest they stumble upon unpleasant updates from Afghanistan. Other comments or activities are more bewildering—including one teenage girl's inexplicable announcement that she plans to join the army because she likes sports, and a segment featuring a counselor at the kids' school whose therapy tools include having the children draw family pictures on paper plates (the purpose of which is left unexplained). Ultimately, the documentary seems to suggest that the children of military families mostly lead the same predictably quotidian lives as the children of civilian families, which—in itself—is not a huge insight. Presented in both English and French versions, this is an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)