Well-intentioned by ultimately confusing muddle about a group of guys who tromp around the woods of Western Oregon pretending they are “on patrol” in Vietnam.
Co-Directed by Mike Attie and Meghan O’Hara. Not yet seen by Rich. (JLH: 3/5)
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Full-Disclosure: I am a member of the Vietnam War Generation. I fought about about the War in Vietnam with my beloved father (who was a WWII vet), I protested the War in Vietnam as a high school student, I welcomed combat vets back from Vietnam as a college student, and I married a man who spent 6 years in the Marine Corp Reserve (but never deployed because the war was already winding down by the time he finished Basic Training on Paris Island).
Since becoming a film critic, I have seen many, many war movies–both docs and features–from a variety of different countries and from myriad points of view. I have also done everything possible to convince my female readers–in particular–that they should see more war movies, to walk a mile in boots most of them will never have to wear. I have done this consciously and explicitly, but also without much effect.
So I went into In Country really hoping to learn something, but I left shaking my head at a well-intentioned project gone bad. Sorry to say In Country is nothing so much as a lost opportunity.
Top Photo: Vinh Nguyen is a reenactor and a former member of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.
Bottom Photo: Reenactors of the D 2/5 1st Air Cavalry Vietnam line up for duty in Salem, Oregon.
Photo Credits: Naked Edge Films
Q: Does In Country pass the Bechdel Test?
No.
In Country is totally about the guys. Some families members appear on the sidelines, but wives are never interviewed.