In Country

Deep in the Oregon forests, U.S. troops continue to face the cunning Vietcong units. The uniforms, the kitbags, the weaponry, the equipment, even the smell of repellent – everything is authentic except the bullets. The matter of life and death is decided by the lots the camouflaged men draw just before they engage in a fierce battle. Following a group of enthusiasts who in their spare time re-enact Vietnam battlefield operations, this documentary portrait reflects America's complicated relationship to wars and their veterans. Re-enactments of Civil War battles have become a popular folklore; however, Vietnam is still a fresh wound. Is it not too soon for something like this? When does a war actually become history? Mike Attie and Meghan O'Hara in their first feature-length film delicately combine archive footage from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan with the illusion of soldier games shot in the spirit of war movies. They try to understand the protagonists for whom this psychodrama is the way to confront their past traumas and satisfy their yearning for nostalgia. (IFF Bratislava)