The warriors in Of Men and War have come safely home to the United States after serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they are unable to escape the battlefield that rages in their own minds.
Of Men and War
Synopsis
A secret battle consumes a dozen combat veterans long after their return from the front. The warriors in Of Men and War have come safely home to the United States after serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they are unable to escape the battlefield that rages in their own minds. Ghosts and echoes of the war fill their lives. Threats seem to spring out from everywhere. Wives, children, and parents bear the brunt of their fractured spirits, struggling to help their loved ones regain their lives. At The Pathway Home, a first-of-its-kind PTSD therapy center, the film's protagonists resolve to end the ongoing destruction. Their therapist helps the young men forge meaning from their trauma. Over years of therapy, Of Men and War explores their grueling paths to recovery, as they attempt to make peace with themselves, their past, and their families.
In 2014 Human Rights Watch documented the stories of veterans struggling with drug and alcohol dependence, many of whom suffered from PTSD and other “invisible injuries.” Human Rights Watch found that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other US agencies involved in helping veterans return home serve them best with programs that incorporate harm reduction principles that “meet veterans where they are”—providing housing, drug treatment, overdose prevention, and other services without judgment, proof of sobriety and other barriers.
Credits
Laurent Bécue-Renard
Director
