Bodies of War

A true blue patriot, it was only during his long-term medical treatment that Young began to question the motives behind the Iraq war and the decisions that sent him and other troops there.

Body of War is his homecoming story, intimately captured over three years. We see the devastating effects of Tomas' injury upon his new marriage, including the daily physical and emotional toll it leaves him with, and we encounter the shocking lack of adequate healthcare for Iraq war veterans.

Although the film focuses closely on the political decision making that led to the war, Body of War is at its strongest when it unflinchingly catalogues what it's like for Young to face the everyday challenges of adjusting to his new disability. Eventually and movingly, we watch as Young finds his own passionate voice as he becomes a member and speaker with Iraq Veterans against the War (IVAW).

Donahue calls Body of War a movie about a drama that is taking place behind closed doors in thousands of homes in America. Homes that are occupied by patriotic brave young men and women who have come back from this war with life altering injuries (29,451 wounded, according to the AP press count).

Many of these injuries are hideous, much worse than injuries sustained in past wars because Army triage strategies have improved.

"We worked on the film for three years because we think that if you call a war the people should see the pain. Don't sanitize the war," Donahue told the Irish Voice.

"When I first met Tomas Young I thought people should see this. That was three years ago."

Direct to camera, Young struggles to explain that since his return from Iraq, it's been difficult for him to stay upright when the only parts of his body that obey him are his shoulders and his arms. And then there are the days when his body is completely uncooperative, the days when he starts "bawling for no real reason."

Later, in a fast moving series of jump cuts, the film documents how Republican Party officials repeated the same pro-war talking points, often verbatim, for months before the invasion occurred.

"This president scared everybody, he took the nation by the ear, including the Congress and led it right into the sewer. It's unbelievable what you can do if you scare the people enough - remember the color-coded terror alerts? Where have they gone? They did what they were supposed to do - frighten people," Donahue says.

For Donahue the Iraq War Resolution - the popular name for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 - exemplifies Congress's abdication of responsibility for the war.

"I watched the debate live in October 2002 and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I saw a superficial debate. The message everywhere was we have to get Saddam! He outside your bedroom window, he's under your bed, he has weapons of mass destruction, we can't wait!

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