Body of War
Body of War is a 2007 documentary film about Iraq War veteran Tomas Young. Bill Moyers Journal featured a one-hour special about Body of War including interviews with filmmakers Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue.
"Body War" redirects here. For the album by Show Me the Body, see Body War (album).Body of War
Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue
Tomas Young
Ellen Spiro
Bernadine Colish
Film Sales Company
- September 2007 (Toronto)[1]
87 minutes
United States
English
Summary[edit]
Shocked by the September 11 attacks Tomas Young wants to defend his country and subsequently he joins the United States Armed Forces. Following his enlistment, he is sent to Iraq but shortly after his arrival there he is maimed by a marksman's bullet. Intercut with his personal story is footage from Congressional proceedings in Washington, D.C. which led to the controversial war.
Critical reception[edit]
Time assessed the documentary as "superb" and "very moving".[1] The Washington Post considered the documentary well-told, upsetting and "ferocious".[6] The Hollywood Reporter certified "Body of War" as special among other antiwar documentaries for its "identification" with one particular human fate.[7] Moving Pictures agreed the film "secures its strength" by that.[8] The Los Angeles Times described this narrative as a "heartbreaking account" and moreover spoke of a strong indictment of "the tactical politics that led to the invasion".[9] The Boston Globe and The Kansas City Star also called it "heartbreaking".[10][11] The Toronto Star appreciated protagonist Tomas Young as a "fascinating, charismatic character".[12] The Philadelphia Inquirer stated Young's filmic portrait was a "complex profile in courage".[13] The Austin Chronicle said "Body of War" was "affecting" and a "cinematic argument against the war",[14] and TV Guide described it as a "powerful film".[15]