Mind Zone

Filmmaker Jan Haakan's somewhat scattershot documentary partially overlaps with territory and issues covered in nonfiction films such as The Soldier's Heart (VL-9/05) and Wartorn 1861-2010 (VL-9/11), exploring the psychological stress of waging war and the U.S. military's current practices regarding what used to be called "shellshock." Here, a new group of troops prepares for Afghanistan, among them the 113th Army Combat Stress Control detachment, whose mission is to implement a mental-resilience component of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program (surely a step up from Gen. Patton just slapping G.I.s in the infirmary). Naturally, the program boasts a great acronym—BICEPS (Brevity, Immediacy, Contact, Expectancy, Proximity, Simplicity)—but does it really help soldiers wounded in mind and body? Home-front psychologists are skeptical about the military's solutions, reminding viewers that unprecedented repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are terra incognita in the fight against PTSD. Meanwhile, returning veterans, some with fearful mental and physical scars, are introduced to a virtual-reality role-playing game that has surreal-absurdist overtones. Offering a questioning look at military efforts to deal with combat-related stress, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)