GI Film Festival in focus: Triumph

By

Staff

Editor’s note: Military Times will spotlight a group of GI Film Festival selections regularly in the run-up to the festival. 

The Category: Triumph

The Films: “American Veteran” and “At Ease”

The Breakdown: Sometimes the greatest victories achieved by veterans take place after they leave the battlefield. These films offer unique perspectives into the concept of military homecomings, and how the world can change for those in and out of uniform.

  • “American Veteran” follows Army Sgt. Nick Mendes’ long recovery from a 2011 improvised explosive device blast in Afghanistan. The documentary shows Mendes as he learns new ways to accomplish everyday tasks, adjusts to married life (with a caregiver he met in the hospital) and reunites with the soldier who pulled him from his wrecked military vehicle.
  • “At Ease” tells a different homecoming tale — a fictional one, as a former Marine returns home from war in time to attend his ex-girlfriend’s wedding. The ceremony, and his plans for a simple transition back to civilian life, don’t go as expected.

The Trailers:

America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created a new population of American veterans: service members so severely disabled they would have died in previous wars, but because of advanced medical technology they survive. We’ve figured out how to keep them alive and bring them back home, but what then?
Duncan is a solitary Marine, fresh off a tour from Afghanistan and considering the potential for his life after the Marine Corps. Arriving at his hometown, Duncan is immediately thrust back into the world he left behind. He’s reunited with his loving family: a tight-lipped father, a drastically concerned mother, and a hyped up 12 year-old sister. But there’s only one thing on his mind –– attending his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.

The Screenings:

Both films will be shown at the Navy Memorial Theater on Friday, May 26, at 2:50 p.m. Tickets are available here.

The Rundown:

For more on these films and others, including links to screening tickets, visit the GI Film Festival’s

official site

.

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