A gravelly-voiced singer reciting "Luang Prabang" opens This Is Not a War Story; the anti-war dirge overlays a montage of a veteran hustling through the New York City subway system. He swallows pills and flirts with danger by standing on the edge of the platform before getting on the car. When the train eventually stops, he is found lying dead. Timothy Reyes' unexpecting passing sets into motion an emotional journey for his veteran friends and mentor Will LaRue (Sam Adegoke in a striking performance). This harrowing opening establishes the film's overwhelming veneer of death and trauma. It is an arresting sequence that immediately grabs the viewer.
Timothy’s suicide forces Will to reconcile with the feelings of insecurity, guilt, and hatred that have consumed him since his return to the United States from war. Will attempts to sort through his turmoil by joining an art community of veterans, from the Vietnam War to Iraq. Together, they divulge their struggles while they work on an art project where they make handmade paper out of their old military uniforms. This act of shredding and destroying their sacred uniforms—the official symbols of the violence and horror they conducted in the name of their country—is therapeutic, giving them a chance to concentrate on something outside of themselves and channel their frustrations into creativity. They also share their original poetry and music.
Director and writer Talia Lugacy's quasi-documentary style uses a mix of actors and real-life veterans; their dialogue—whether written by her or improvised—has a granular authenticity that situates This Is Not a War Story as an authoritative depiction of PTSD and post-war trauma. The veterans' repartee is both poetic and brutally honest about the various challenges they face: suicide, medication, lack of familial support, and so on. Lugacy's talents extend to the front of the camera in her riveting lead performance as Isabelle, a young woman whose family is unsure what to do with her newfound emotional and mobility problems. Lugacy is a steely force that conveys Isabelle's tough exterior and undercurrent of loneliness with deep feeling.
As a marginalized figure in the veteran's community, Isabelle forges a connection with Will, one of the only black men. Will is just as haunted as she is. Lugacy's writing is sharp and empathetic, boldly exposing the penetrating solitude and disarray that comes with returning from the savagery of war. Two monologues particularly stand out: Isabelle's yearning to learn how to live again and Will's censure of America's glorification of violence under the guise of "supporting our troops"—he doesn't understand how anyone can endorse the blood on his hands. Their individual experiences reveal how unnatural and damaging the savage acts of war are on a person.
This Is Not a War Story is not a comfortable film—it explores raw emotions with unsettling proximity. Lugacy's unhinged camera pushes closely to her protagonists, often following them throughout prolonged moments of complete silence. She carefully observes the brave face they wear to mask their internal pain. The film explores the trials of post-war recovery in a realistic and personal way that is not often easy to watch. Through her simple yet impactful story, she brazenly explores how post-war trauma affects the lives of two ex-soldiers, numbing their humanity and making it extremely difficult to return to the serenity of civilian life. Their experiences in the war hang over them like a dark fog that they must find their way through.
This is not your typical war story; not only is it refreshing to see a post-war film directed and written by a woman, but also one that challenges the jingoistic idealism of combat. Lugacy's film also feels especially timely after the United States' recent exit of Afghanistan. This Is Not a War Story is one of the most honest post-war films, giving voice to the catastrophic toll the atrocities of war take on our young men and women. It is essential viewing for civilians to understand and help make some tangible changes for ex-soldiers' recovery. Lugacy is a courageous filmmaker who has made a devastating and intimate study of veterans' strife.