The last film I watched that was written and directed by Kimberly Peirce was 1999’s
Boys Don’t Cry. The story of Brandon Teena, the transgender teenager, shook me up and crept through my thoughts for days after I saw the film.
I’m pleased to say that Peirce’s latest offering,
Stop-Loss, has the same haunting effect.
In case you’re not familiar with America's stop-loss policy, it involves the retention of soldiers in the service beyond their expected term. Basically, they use a loophole in soldiers’ military contracts to prohibit them from retiring once their term of service is complete. To date the stop-loss policy has affected the lives of more than 80,000 American soldiers.
Peirce began making the film
after her 18 year-old brother enlisted in
the army and went to serve in Iraq. “In an effort to understand what my
brother was going through, I started making a documentary on our
soldiers,” she explains.
“I interviewed soldiers, asking them
why they joined, what they experienced in war and what they experienced
upon their return – specifically, how they struggled to re-assimilate
into society.”
Her research began to illuminate discontent
among the soldiers about the war, what they were fighting for and what
was being fought.
“As a result, an increasing number of
servicemen were going AWOL. We began searching these soldiers out and
interviewing them on the run in America and those who had settled
abroad.”
Her film focuses on the case of Senior Sergeant Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe), a soldier who returns from Iraq, only to have his life turned upside down when he is stop-lossed, and arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the army.
King is torn. He has spent the last few years serving his country and witnessing countless atrocities – now he wants to come home and begin his life anew. Does he do the “honourable” thing and remain in the army, or does he begin to value his own life and run from the authorities?
Compounding King's plight are the soldiers from his unit who are having trouble assimilating back into life in Texas. In a whirlwind of drunken brawls and spousal abuse, the men - who include King’s best friend Steve Shriver (played by Channing Tatum) – struggle to come to grips with their life, post-war.
When King realises he can’t rely on his friends to help him go AWOL, he turns to one of his oldest friends, Michelle, played by an excellent Abbie Cornish. The on-screen chemistry between Cornish and Phillippe is quite remarkable – it’s easy to see how their meeting on this film set lead to their real-life relationship.
Peirce has created a truly gripping film. The tension in
Stop-Loss is palpable from whoa to go. The editors have cut together a punchy piece that draws on various snippets of footage - including home movie-style images shot from handycams mounted on guns - to captivate the viewer. The performances are outstanding and Peirce’s script, as in
Boys Don’t Cry, is considered and polished.
Above all, this film shines because of its subject matter, which is topical and unsettling. Peirce has handled it delicately - she displays enormous empathy and understanding, without becoming painfully sentimental. Which is an art in itself.
Stop-Loss is released in Australian cinemas on August 7. You can view the trailer now on TheVine.