Take a trip to ‘Hell and Back Again’ and find out what happens when a soldier comes home

After watching 2010’s Oscar-nominated documentary, Restrepo, a visceral testament of the difficulty of the Afghanistan War, I didn’t realize the story was far from over. Although Hell and Back Again is not connected to Restrepo, except in subject matter, the two feel like before-and-after shots of the gut-wrenching anguish that American soldiers endure during and after conflict.

Hell and Back Again, directed by Danfung Dennis, follows 25-year-old Marine Sgt. Nathan Harris as he grapples with a seemingly impossible war in rural Afghanistan and the medical (and psychological) ordeal he withstands when he comes home after being shot in the leg. Dennis is given complete access to Nathan and his wife, Ashley. The two deal with doctors’ appointments, physical therapy, finding a new house and the emotional toll that armed conflict has caused.

Dennis, an expert war photographer, blends past and present into a seamless tapestry that uses some of the best transitions of any documentary I’ve seen. Nathan could be back home, shopping at the local Walmart and hoping to play the latest video game. As he begins shooting his enemies in a CGI world, Dennis cuts to actual footage from Afghanistan that shows similar predicaments in the real world.

In some ways, this clever editing technique is dishonest. The 88-minute movie essentially puts thoughts in Nathan’s head — thoughts that may or may not be there. Still, Dennis never exploits his subject, and it’s easy to deduce that Nathan struggles with his new life and his new disability.

The Marine walks very slowly and only with the aid of another person. Sometimes he just goes for the motorized wheelchair. Ashley is as dedicated a wife as they come, and there’s hardly a scene where she’s not helping her hurting husband.

Nathan’s mind also feels somewhat broken. He brandishes a handgun, joking about the finality of the weapon and the power it gives him. He talks of going back into the battleground as if it were a drug that he’s been denied ever since the accident.

Dennis is there to capture all of these revelations, never turning away from the uncomfortable facts about Nathan and his future prospects. The camerawork is intimate and pristine. The Afghanistan War comes off almost cinematic in nature; gone are the shaky-cam techniques used by so many other bootstrap documentarians. In Hell and Back Again, we receive a clear, unadulterated portrait of Nathan, his fellow soldiers and the suburban oasis of his imprisonment.

The lasting impression of the film has less to do with the actual action on the ground in Afghanistan. The scenes where American soldiers try to convince the local population to trust them and allow them to use their houses is interesting, but we’ve been hit over the head with similar stories in the news media. It’s safe to say that Americans realize how difficult the military engagement has become in the foreign country.

But what’s missing from most war stories is the tale of Nathan and his months (years, lifetime) of recovery. The cameras typically shut off when the troops come home and embrace their families. The power of Hell and Back Again is that when Nathan kisses his wife for the first time in many months, the story has just begun.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Hell and Back Again

• 2011

• Directed by Danfung Dennis

• Running time: 88 minutes

• Rating: