Korengal
Korengal | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sebastian Junger |
Produced by | Nick Quested |
Cinematography | Tim Hetherington Sebastian Junger Jake Clennell (Italy Interviews) |
Edited by | Michael Levine |
Music by | Marty Beller |
Production companies | Gold Crest Films, Outpost Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $101,310[1] |
Korengal is a 2014 documentary about the
Background
The film is composed primarily of footage shot by photojournalist
Hetherington was killed by shrapnel in April 2011 while reporting on the
Synopsis
Text displayed at the start of the film reads: "In April 2010, the U.S. military pulled out of the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan. 42 Americans died fighting there." Archival news footage is then shown of the demolition of Outpost (OP) Restrepo by American troops before their withdrawal from the valley.
The rest of the film takes place between 2007 and 2008,[3] when the men of Second Platoon, Battle Company, were stationed in the Korengal Valley and both constructed and spent much of their time defending OP Restrepo,[2] named after their fallen comrade PFC Juan Sebastián Restrepo. Footage of the men in combat is intermixed with interviews conducted with them afterward, in which most of them express that they had experienced both the most intense fear and the most intense exhilaration of their lives in combat, with stretches of extreme boredom between the spurts of action. All of the soldiers describe bonds with those who served beside them that go beyond the intensity of even their family ties, and one soldier says he would gladly throw himself on a grenade to save the other members of his unit.[4] Many of the soldiers miss the camaraderie of the other men, the adrenaline of war, and the excitement of "cheating death."[4] One soldier says he would "go back right now if I could",[4][5] while another worries that God hates him for the "sins" he committed on his deployment.
Reception
On
In his review of the film, Justin Chang of Variety wrote that "Sebastian Junger delivers a worthy companion piece to Restrepo with this more reflective dispatch from the front lines of Afghanistan."[8] David Denby of The New Yorker said: "As a record of the war, the two films [Restrepo and Korengal] are imperishable."[5]
A few critics found Korengal meandering. Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine, for example, called the film "an alternately gripping and dully meandering patchwork of these soldiers' simultaneously chill and quite literally maddening stay in the Korengal that pointedly shuns big-picture philosophizing."[9]
References
- ^ "Korengal".
- ^ a b c Reaney, Patricia (29 May 2014). "War documentary 'Korengal' explores consequences of combat". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ a b NPR Staff (31 May 2014). "What Is Courage?: 'Korengal' Breaks Down War In Afghanistan". NPR. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d
Holden, Stephen (29 May 2014). "Haunted by Combat, Yet Missing the Brethren: In 'Korengal,' U.S. Soldiers Recall Their Time in Afghanistan". New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ a b Denby, Davie (2014). "Korengal". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ "Korengal (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ "Korengal (2014)". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Chang, Justin (30 May 2014). "Film Review: 'Korengal'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- ^ Gonzalez, Ed (26 May 2014). "Korengal". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
External links
- Official Website
- Korengal at IMDb
- Korengal at Rotten Tomatoes