Last night I went to see Blessed By fire. A film Egardo Esteban, a journalist, novelist and filmaker and Veteran of the Falklands/Malvinas War. It is an exploration of the human cost of conflict, and deals explicitly with PTSD and the high suicide rates amongst Veterans. In Argentina the rate is 32% above the national average, in the UK it is estimated at around 25% above the national Average.

It is a remarkable, and realistic account of the War seen through the eyes of a young Argentinian Conscript. It will be shown at the ICA in London next Wednesday. I spent the evening with Egardo and we talked at great length about the human cost of war in it's aftermath on the families and loved ones as well as on the veterans themselves. I found the film to be profoundly moving.

Andy

Having see the film myself I too can recommend. The film; Illuminados por el Fuego (enlightened by fire) is a good watch which is neither pro nor anti either side. I've only seen the Spanish version which I found excellent even though my grasp of the Spanish language is far from complete. I think you could actually watch it without knowing a word of the language and get the gist.

There is a website with a downloadable trailer http://www.iluminadosporelfuego.com/ilumin...ash.php?lang=en which includes a downloadable trailer.

Thanks for the correction on the title. IThe film now has subtitles for the British viewings, so the language will not be a problem.
Worth a visit.
Andy

I have seen the trailer from the thread and found to be quite interesting.No glamour in it as there isn't.Wasn't filmed in Hollywood at all.
Harry

Kev,

We all know there is no glamour in War. Oliver Stone summed it up in Platoon, Steven Speilberg did the same again in Saving Private Ryan.

People in a living hell who deal with situation in the best way they can out of a sense of duty to ones uniform initially but in the end its to ones self and comrades.

My son wasn't even born just a mere embryo in his mothers womb, he thought it was all about Rambo and bad guys till I made him watch Platoon (when he was old enough).

I told him of acts of heroism, of pain and suffering, loss, grief, frustration, hunger, thirst, Fear, he lstened while chatted of comradeship, I told him of 16 year old conscripts shot to keep them from running. I spoke of arrogance, failures, successes, trench foot and Air raids. He heard of the smells, the geographic locations, he knows some of trops I was there with he saw only Dad's mates, not the reason why they were mates.I spent many hours explaining that war is a political game played at a national level using people as pieces, and the reasons he needed to know why it wasn't Hollywood.

I like to think he came away understanding a little more he will never know and hope he never has to learn what it is all about.