The Invisible War is a gripping, thought-provoking, and eye-opening look at the military in a way that most people likely don’t know about, and others simply have chosen to overlook up to this point. That wouldn’t be surprising, as even the military itself has chosen to all but ignore this aspect of their world, leaving a great number of victimized men and women who signed up to help serve and protect their country, to instead be backstabbed by it. The documentary focuses on the rampant amount of sexual assault and rapes that take place in all areas of the U.S. military, and how quickly they’re covered up and forgotten by all but the victims who are left to suffer the consequences.
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film is Not Yet Rated) breaks down some of the layers to this ever-growing wall of secrets by going into the homes of several young servicewomen – as well as one serviceman – who were raped and then ignored by their superiors. It’s frustrating enough when our justice system fails, and someone goes free; however, these men and women are often told by their superiors that they have no proof, or the one who assaulted them is friends with their superior and it’s simply ignored – or even worse, their assailant is their superior and they have nowhere else to go.
In fact, it gets even harder to hear these stories when it’s revealed that many times the assailant isn’t charged at all, and it’s the victim instead that’s charged with adultery and misconduct because their assailant was married. In one instance a woman was told she was bringing it on herself because of what she was wearing – her uniform. Fact: A female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Just one chilling statistic found within this documentary.
There’s no denying that this film will be hard for some to watch; however, it’s an extremely important one that shouldn’t be missed. The stories are heartbreaking, and as we watch these women try and battle the system that betrayed them, it only gets harder to understand how they have to fight so hard to even get people to believe them.
Those worried about graphic images, or reenactments don’t need to fret, as Dick has taken a subject that isn’t the easiest to talk about and made it incredibly accessible through superb interviews, and just letting the women and man tell their stories. There’s never a sense of intrusion, and if anything, we want nothing more than to march right alongside them and demand change, and demand it fast.
In Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore put in some clips of George Bush saying things that made some audience members slap their foreheads and wonder how this guy could get elected. Now while everyone may not agree with how Moore edits his films, there’s no denying that it’s not hard to find clips of Bush that make you wonder that same thing. Dick does the something like that here, but he does it with Dr. Kaye Whitely, the director of the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO). And while Bush’s botched lines and misused words could be viewed as somewhat comedic, Whitely’s knowledge on assault – or lack thereof – will simply make you shake your head in disgust.
Whitely goes on to explain that most of SAPRO’s budget goes to their promotional material, which is supposed to help prevent sexual assault. That’s right, promotional material to prevent rape. And if that sounds bad, wait until you see the videos they use. There’s a horrible rap that has lines like “Turn the other cheek is a thing of the past/Up close and real when they try to harass/When they there in the dark and the predator persists/Step up in his face you can tell him this/We Stand/We Fight/Intervene/That’s Right.” Oh yeah, I can see how that helps a lot.
But that’s not even the worst of it. There are also prevention posters that have the slogan “Don’t risk it…ask her when she’s sober.” I mean, what? And it’s all capped off with a video that pretty much blames the victims for putting themselves in the position where they could get raped. Whitely continues to look worse and worse, and if people like this are the ones in charge of helping find ways to stop sexual assault in the military, well, they’ve got a long way to go.
The Invisible War is one of the must-see documentaries of the year. It’s just a very important film, and the stories within it and the people telling them are so open, and so honest that they deserve to be heard. There’s a wave of emotions you’ll feel while watching this film, ranging from sadness, to anger, to heartbreak and hope. The hope that these brave women and men who came forward will find the peace they deserve, and hopefully inspire more to come forward so that justice may eventually find its way into the world of the U.S. military, and that those who do wrong within that world will pay for their crimes. Do yourself a favour, and do them a favour and see this film.
The film looks and sounds great. The interviews are beautifully shot, with fantastic footage to accompany it, and sound quality that truly captures the emotion that accompanies every word these victims and their loved ones say throughout.
Audio Commentary with Director Kirby Dick and Producer Amy Ziering — This is a great audio commentary where both Dick and Ziering are open with what went into making the film, how they found survivors, and how much of a challenge it was to get through to them at first, and how intense the experiences were. A great listen for those who want more information on the film.
Regina & John Vasquez, Extended Interviews – Regina’s story isn’t told within the documentary itself; however, you can hear it here. The interviews last just over four minutes long.
Sundance Film Festival Post-Screening Speak-Out – This is a featurette that’s just over six minutes in length, and it’s a gathering that took place after a screening at Sundance. At this gathering the subjects of the film got together with other survivors of sexual assault within the military and they share their experiences.
VetWOW Survivor Retreat – This featurette is just under 12 minutes in length, and talks about how Susan Avila-Smith, an army veteran, founded a retreat for sexual assault victims so that they could get out of the house, and try to regain parts of their lives and freedoms that they lost since being attacked.
Cowboy Up – This featurette is just under four minutes in length and talks about the Moonfall Ranch in Colorado, which is run by John Nash and is used as a resource by veterans suffering from PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma.
The Invisible War is one of those rare documentaries that could go on to make drastic changes within the military, and it’s by watching it, and telling others to watch it that word will continue to get out there. Hopefully, in the not so distant future, even more changes will have been made within the U.S. military that will help protect those who wish to do nothing more than to protect their country, and feel safe within their own surroundings while doing so. Highly recommended.
Chain Camera Pictures and Regina Kulik Scully and Jennifer Siebel Newsom Present The Invisible War. Written and Directed by: Kirby Dick. Running time: 97 minutes. Rating: 14A. Released on Blu-ray: November 20, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
