Although plenty of film dramas have centered on soldiers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, few have presented contemporary military life from the perspective of women serving in combat zones. Filmmakers Delphine and Muriel Coulin's The Stopover not only looks at the damaging psychological effects of war and readjustment to civilian life but also the traumatic experience of women coping with the realities of a testosterone-heavy environment. Marine (Soko) and Aurore (Ariane Labed) are members of a French Army group leaving Afghanistan who layover in sunny, touristy Cyprus for a few days of “decompression” and “debriefing.” The soldiers are subjected to virtual reality technology designed to help them purge their war experiences before returning to France, but this newfangled mode of psychotherapy only makes things worse. The soldiers resent this unreal Cypriot touristic environment and begin to question what the “real” world really is. Worse, the male soldiers' postwar composure begins to slowly unravel. Initially, the men focus their displaced resentment and rage on the tourist community, but then it is the women in their group who end up bearing the brunt of their abusive behavior. Offering a viscerally powerful exploration of the scourge of sexism and double standards in the military, this is recommended. (M. Sandlin)
The Stopover
First Run, 102 min., in French & Greek w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 33, Issue 1
The Stopover
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