"The Ground Truth": The toll of the war in Iraq, from those who are still paying it

Patricia Foulkrod's powerful documentary "The Ground Truth" begins with a quote that describes returning from war as "a slow ascent from hell." Using a number of interviews with Iraq war veterans, the film focuses on the emotional impact of war and on how many soldiers sent overseas are not prepared for what they will find there, or for how it will change them. In the film, a vet notes that the legacy of Vietnam was Agent Orange, but that for Iraq it will be "the psychological illness of war."

Movie review

Showtimes and trailer

"The Ground Truth," a documentary by Patricia Foulkrod. 78 minutes. Rated R for disturbing violence and language. Metro.

Loosely structured and without a narrator, the film is a collection of interviews interspersed with footage (some of which depicts shocking violence against civilians) from Iraq. Early on, a young man describes how seeing the Hollywood fantasy "Top Gun" as a kid made him want to join the military. Others note that recruiters are careful to emphasize the financial and educational rewards of military service, and to never mention the word "kill." Many of these very young people don't seem to have thought much about combat and what it might mean. "You don't go to war with a country, and not go to war with its people," says Navy vet Charles Anderson, discharged in 2005 and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The emotional toll is emphasized in stories of veterans returning home, described by one as "kind of a ghost in society," floating through an old life that doesn't make sense anymore. Their families, not fully knowing the nature of what their loved ones endured, are unsure how to help them face their demons. "A part of him died over there," says a sad-eyed wife. The physical cost is noted, too: In one interview, the camera slowly pulls away to show that the young man speaking is missing an arm. Another bravely faces the camera with a face hellishly scarred by fire.

"The Ground Truth" ends abruptly, and seems too short for its rich subject. But it's a haunting and welcome addition to the growing library of war documentaries; one that wisely lets its subjects speak for themselves.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com