Incident in New Baghdad

James Spione's short documentary falls into the growing category of nonfiction films about maladjusted U.S. military veterans who have returned from recent wars harboring bitterness and resentment. In this case, the subject is Ethan McCord, an Army specialist who was among those shown on the classified video of the July 12, 2007, Baghdad air strike that was released by Julian Assange's WikiLeaks under the title Collateral Murder. McCord was not responsible for the attack—indeed, McCord was one of the soldiers seen taking an injured child to medical care—but the incident, together with other events during his tour of duty, left him angry and sour. Back home, McCord suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder that led to alcohol abuse and a hostile relationship with his family (and the news following the release of Collateral Murder only made matters worse). McCord is brutally honest about his feelings, speaking in depth about the controversial air strike (which was initially covered up by the Pentagon) and adding that there was “nothing patriotic in what I was doing over there.” McCord later found a calling as an activist against the war in Iraq. Although the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject, this is essentially a cinematic vehicle for McCord to vent his frustrations over his unexpected role in a horrifying incident. A minor addition to the canon of Iraq-related works, this is still a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)