The Gulf

Here's a brief taste of my review of the new Iraq War documentary Brothers at War, posted here on emanuellevy.com:

Since the film’s stated focus is the bond between “brothers,” spending most of the film with Americans is to be expected. But in almost totally losing sight of the war’s other human sacrifices — Iraqi civilians — “Brothers at War” goes further than promoting an uncritical “Support Our Troops” mentality. If brotherhood means ignoring rather than engaging Iraqis unhappy with the invasion, then it also ignores the complexity of the war, and of the troops themselves. In other words, it implies that the understanding of brotherhood (violent, callous) that animates one soldier in the film animates them all: “you get one,” he says, comparing killing an Iraqi to being tattooed, “and you kind of want to get another.”