Flags of Our Fathers, an American war movie, takes place during and after World War II. This film explores the effects of warfare on three soldiers. They are famed for their famous pictures. We see them struggle to continue as they have flashbacks or suffer from PTSD. The struggle to cope with fame and the loss of their comrades is also evident. Clint Eastwood directed the film, which stars actors like Ryan Philippe and Jesse Bradford. This film, despite its lighthearted humor, is a powerful one that shows life after war as a heavy burden. Letters from Iwo Jima offers a new perspective on the Japanese, their treatment of their soldiers, as well as their war efforts. We discover that their lives continue despite the war.
As they embark on a bond tour, we see Ira and Rene reflecting upon their experiences. During the tour, we see Ira, Rene and Doc reminisce on their experiences or deal with PTSD. We follow them as they go from Hawaii to Iwo Jima. We see the battle and many of their friends are killed. The soldiers continue to fight and raise the flag when they are given an order. The battle continues and we watch as others are slowly killed until the end. The war is over, but these three heroes still have their own trials to overcome. Ira for instance, faces discrimination due to his Native American heritage and struggles with alcoholism. In one particular scene, we can see Ira getting drunk and attacking police officers. He was denied service by the police because he’s Native American. After many years have passed, we discover what became of the soldiers. Ira succumbs to exposure as the result of a drinking night. Doc goes on to live his life as an office worker, while Rene fails in his attempt at a career in business. Doc, as he lies dying, tells the story to Rene and then shows a scene from their final meeting. This film has some powerful scenes. We see, for instance, our heroes struggling with post traumatic anxiety disorder. Ira struggles with alcoholism and survivor’s guilty. Doc battles survivor guilt and insomnia. Racism was also prevalent during this time. Ira receives the most abuse and is constantly receiving racist “jokes”. The only other person that is consistently attacked is Ira. He is mocked by a Senator who speaks to him in the native language of his people or by someone else asking if he is proud. The characters in this film are also depicted as heroic or larger than life figures, but they don’t want to. These characters just want to be portrayed as normal people. In a different scene, Ira is seen working on a farmer’s farm when he is approached by a group of people who want to snap a photo.
In the end, it seems that all of these men’s sufferings were in vain. They were still proclaimed heroes despite everything. But these men weren’t larger-than-life characters. They just wanted to be normal men. They were forced to the forefront and faced PTSD, depression, social dysfunctions and other trials.
As for the Japanese. There is a sense of patriotism, but the people are less willing to fight. They don’t want to go to Japan and there aren’t any parades for the men leaving. Instead, we see a few parents waving flags. The treatment of American soldiers is harsh, but nothing like the Japanese. In one instance, a captain hits his soldiers in anger because they had “conspired” to use unpatriotic phrases. This, however, is due to the fact that these soldiers are probably in bad conditions and not given enough rest. Also, we see superiors yelling at lower-ranked troops. The Japanese do have a more sensitive side. In one scene, a Japanese soldier is seen conversing with a wounded American soldier. The Japanese, who led a fierce war but were eventually killed and overpowered except for a small number of them taken to the POW beach.
Both films show that there is no real bad guy, which is the reason why they are so powerful. Each side is told in their own way and neither character is larger than life. That’s the magic.
