Courtney Keating on Restrepo: A Guest Post

Greetings, blogging community. As the title may suggest, I (being the devoted daughter that I am) have agreed to temporarily step in for my mother...an unfortunate series of events led her to miss the private film screening on which she was going to base this post. Fortunately, however, she selected her sixteen year old daughter (me) as The Chosen One - the guest who got to accompany her to the showing of Restrepo: the real life story of a platoon's year in Afghanistan. This, I promise, is a film worth writing about, and definitely a film worth watching.

First, a little background: the title Restrepo comes from the name of a platoon's outpost. The name of their outpost comes from the name "Doc" Restrepo. Medic. KIA. The cameras follow these men for one year. There is no narration, and as the official website points out, "no interviews with generals or diplomats." This style of documentary puts you right there in the action. And action is one thing there is just enough of. The boys were put in Korengal Valley...one of the most dangerous places to be in Afghanistan.

From the moment the lights went down to the last second of credits, there was a hush across the audience. Yes, there were only about twelve people, and yes, it's polite to quiet down during a movie. But this was a different kind of hush...maybe it was out of respect, or maybe out of anticipation for something America hasn't been able to see until now - the real deal. I can't peg what it was, but it was noticeable. And I know that I took part in it as well.

Restrepo beautifully shows the unbreakable bond that these men form. They behave like a family, love each other like a family. And the bitter reality when a family member dies is not overlooked - remorse and pain is not avoided; emotions are not hidden. This is real, and this is what our soldiers go through. In addition to fighting and mourning with each other, the guys, well....had their moments. They made immature, inappropriate, and ridiculous jokes. They did unbelievably silly things, and it's hilarious. In what's considered the deadliest valley in Afghanistan, the spirit they had is uplifting. The film captures it all. From grief to joy, it captures it all.

I'd have to say my favorite part was when I spotted a bracelet on one of the soldiers. A bracelet exactly like the one I was wearing. This being a war and all, though, this wasn't no designer piece of jewelry. The soldier and I were wearing a paracord survival bracelet, an intricately knotted bracelet that contains more than 700 feet of rope when totally unwound and gutted. My boyfriend, Cailean, made the bracelet for me a couple of weeks ago, and it hasn't left my wrist since. Hey, you never know when someone might need some survival rope! Anywho, as you might be able to imagine...seeing a bracelet EXACTLY like the one I wear everyday on a deployed American soldier was pretty awesome. Another detail that caught my attention took place about halfway through the movie - December for them. A soldier was talking into the camera, and behind him on his bunk were colorful Christmas lights, wound around the posts. A completely natural thing to do. But for some reason, it really struck me...

Hours after the movie ended, I'm still thinking about the guys from Outpost Restrepo. You get to know them and really come to appreciate what they go through on a daily basis. This is an important film. It's eye opening, revealing, and true. I believe that after watching this movie, you'll walk out of that theater with a better understanding. A better understanding of absolutely anything.

Well, hope I didn't bore everyone to tears. My mother will be resuming her position very shortly. Thanks for reading...now promise you'll watch it!
This has been Courtney Keating...over and out.