June 27, 2023
FILM: HERE.IS.BETTER
DIRECTED BY: JACK YOUNGELSON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
We’re in a period which sits between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Many of us use these days to celebrate and barbecue with friends and family. How often though do we really think about the meaning of these holidays? Sometimes we are asked to pause and consider those soldiers that sacrificed their lives for our country. But there’s another step we really need to take and that is to hear the surviving soldiers’ stories and help them relieve the lingering effects and emotions resulting from their experiences.
The new documentary Here.Is.Better shines a light on several men and women who served in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Specifically, it examines the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) they have struggled with. We might think we know something about PTSD from the media but do we really know what it’s like to be inside the mind of someone suffering with the disorder? Do we know about effective treatments? This film does a remarkable job of delving into these details in a very enlightening and insightful way.
Emmy-winning director Jack Youngelson offers up several perspectives to set us on this journey. First off, he interviews the veterans as they tell their stories. One standout is Jason Kander, who served in Afghanistan. Upon returning home, Kander put all of his energies into running for the Missouri House of Representatives and later the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Presidency. He then hit a wall. Kander, as well as the other vets, discuss feelings of anxiety, guilt, and suicidal thoughts as PTSD took over their lives. Kander mentions how difficult his transition to civilian life was as he continued to seek the adrenaline rush associated with combat. But he, like the others interviewed, recognize how those memories and experiences ended up controlling his life, often leading to an inability to feel love and affection.
A film just focusing on former soldiers’ stories could be quite compelling in and of itself. But Youngelson also takes us to those who work with them in various forms of treatment at therapy centers. We see their individual and group sessions where they are taught to understand the effects of PTSD on their brains and how best to treat them. One of the most eye-opening scenes involves a group of women vets who attend a sporting event to confront the sounds and crowds that can often be quite triggering to someone suffering from PTSD. One woman becomes so agitated by the sound of fireworks at the event that she is forced to leave the stadium in tears. It is situations like this that are particularly educational. How often do we consider what events and holidays may in fact be doing internally to those suffering from PTSD?
The general tone of the film is pretty much what you might expect from such a portrait of struggling veterans. The music score is sorrowful at times and the use of some war footage illustrates some harrowing situations, such as seeing one soldier’s vehicle explode in front of them. As such, the film can feel a bit maudlin at times. Still, it is very well edited and produced and has its heart in the right place. It teaches us what happens to the brain of those suffering from PTSD while trying to dispel the myths of the disorder as well as its treatment.
I don’t know that I’ve seen another related film which captures these experiences and informs us as well as Here.Is.Better does. So, the next time you want to honor our veterans view this film. It might make you feel some much-needed empathy for them.
Here.Is.Better is now available to rent on Amazon Prime.
FILM: HERE.IS.BETTER
DIRECTED BY: JACK YOUNGELSON
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
We’re in a period which sits between Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Many of us use these days to celebrate and barbecue with friends and family. How often though do we really think about the meaning of these holidays? Sometimes we are asked to pause and consider those soldiers that sacrificed their lives for our country. But there’s another step we really need to take and that is to hear the surviving soldiers’ stories and help them relieve the lingering effects and emotions resulting from their experiences.
The new documentary Here.Is.Better shines a light on several men and women who served in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Specifically, it examines the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) they have struggled with. We might think we know something about PTSD from the media but do we really know what it’s like to be inside the mind of someone suffering with the disorder? Do we know about effective treatments? This film does a remarkable job of delving into these details in a very enlightening and insightful way.
Emmy-winning director Jack Youngelson offers up several perspectives to set us on this journey. First off, he interviews the veterans as they tell their stories. One standout is Jason Kander, who served in Afghanistan. Upon returning home, Kander put all of his energies into running for the Missouri House of Representatives and later the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Presidency. He then hit a wall. Kander, as well as the other vets, discuss feelings of anxiety, guilt, and suicidal thoughts as PTSD took over their lives. Kander mentions how difficult his transition to civilian life was as he continued to seek the adrenaline rush associated with combat. But he, like the others interviewed, recognize how those memories and experiences ended up controlling his life, often leading to an inability to feel love and affection.
A film just focusing on former soldiers’ stories could be quite compelling in and of itself. But Youngelson also takes us to those who work with them in various forms of treatment at therapy centers. We see their individual and group sessions where they are taught to understand the effects of PTSD on their brains and how best to treat them. One of the most eye-opening scenes involves a group of women vets who attend a sporting event to confront the sounds and crowds that can often be quite triggering to someone suffering from PTSD. One woman becomes so agitated by the sound of fireworks at the event that she is forced to leave the stadium in tears. It is situations like this that are particularly educational. How often do we consider what events and holidays may in fact be doing internally to those suffering from PTSD?
The general tone of the film is pretty much what you might expect from such a portrait of struggling veterans. The music score is sorrowful at times and the use of some war footage illustrates some harrowing situations, such as seeing one soldier’s vehicle explode in front of them. As such, the film can feel a bit maudlin at times. Still, it is very well edited and produced and has its heart in the right place. It teaches us what happens to the brain of those suffering from PTSD while trying to dispel the myths of the disorder as well as its treatment.
I don’t know that I’ve seen another related film which captures these experiences and informs us as well as Here.Is.Better does. So, the next time you want to honor our veterans view this film. It might make you feel some much-needed empathy for them.
Here.Is.Better is now available to rent on Amazon Prime.