Blind Prophecy

Well, the car is packed up except for a few odds and ends (like my laptop, obviously). Since I have specific window of time during which I’m able to move-in, I’m trying to time the trip so that I arrive during that window. That means I should leave Cincinnati sometime around midnight.

The plan is to take a nap this afternoon so I can drive through the night. I have a feeling that’s not going to work out well. Nerves.

Last night Jennifer and Jacob took me to see The Hurt Jacket. Overall, I liked it. You know how lots of movies brag about being non-stop action and thrills? This movie actually did that. A film about bomb experts in Iraq, it was scene after scene of intense suspense. Even the “breather” scenes could suddenly become chokingly emotional in a heartbeat.

My only complaint is that the director never a met a “war film” cliche she didn’t like. Soldier in silhouette against flames? check. Long, intense, extreme close-up in the desert sun? check. Shaky hand-cam and rapid cuts? check. Slow-mo explosions? check. Weeping and collapsing in the shower? check.

Despite the overused tropes, the film is intriguing on many levels. The psychology of the soldier, especially as adrenaline junkie. The emotional connection and break made with the people of the occupied land. The confusion of purpose, the despair of the soldier, the clueless or distant command structure, the guilt of insecurity when lives are on the line, the nobility of intention… the film has a rather unflinching eye toward the experience of the soldiers.

Anyway, even though I’m not usually one for war films, this was worth the trip.

Filed under: movies, NYC, personal by Jere Keys