Serving your country and returning home mentally and physically disabled is all too common these days. The Veteran's hospitals to me, in this film especially, looked and felt like prisons that housed what are supposed to be our heroes, people who gave all mentally and physically and returned home to be ultimately forgotten.
Let me first say how amazing the sound and soundtrack were, the sound was really claustrophobic when it was corresponding to the actions on screen and only that way when it needed to be. The tight downward spiral of madness was mentally jarring when seeing PTSD symptoms playing out on screen, and hearing that soundtrack really push your heart rate up to the point where you too were about to experience a panic attack.
Not to say there weren't moments to pull you back to a normal state of mind. And that is where this film shines, there are some genuinely funny moments of dialogue in this film where the audience really responded positively. People were laughing out loud during these crucial comedic moments that kept the crowd just barely afloat from the more depressing moments of the film. I can't lie though, I cried three times during the film. It was just so much to take in, the feelings that soldiers must feel in knowing they are slowly losing everything that matters to them, like their friends and family, and slowly being left to rot in the Veteran's hospital while everyone in the outside world forgets about them.
It was heartbreaking, but seeing the character of Lisa and knowing there are probably more people like her in the world, who genuinely care about Veterans and dedicate their lives to their rehabilitation, truly gave me hope. Michael Cuomo as the lead character Cole was simply magnificent, he was so fragile physically in the film but his mental strength would not allow him to fail. He could not fail because of personal pride, and he under no circumstances could disappoint his Father, played by Alan Dale, who wanted the best from and for his son, but really came off as more of a villain than a Father. He saw pain as weakness and this was tearing Cole apart mentally. Cole's character was very strong though, he was pulling himself out of depression for the sake of others throughout the whole film.
One of my favorite parts of the film was when his Mother (Spoiler ahead) came in after he got his leg amputated, and he was crying and reaching for his leg just before he came in. The reality of everything came crashing down on him and he had reached his point of despair, yet as soon as his Mother entered the scene and tried to be strong and succumbed to crying, he started smiling and trying to be strong for her sake. At this point I lost it, I was a sobbing 35 year old man who felt like he didn't understand life at all for people in the military. What these people must go through, what they have sacrificed for me, and the hard life waiting for them when they returned hurt or mentally broken.
I will never know this pain, I will never experience this loss or lose my friends and family slowly as I deteriorate physically and mentally. It was hard to watch, yet I needed to see this. Having Joseph Harrell as the military adviser and seeing him speak at the Q & A after the screening made me experience feelings I've never felt before, he spoke from the heart about Veteran suicides and I lost it again. I shook his hand after the screening and thanked him but I want to tell you now, that I could never thank him enough for his service in the military, he is a hero to me. His support of this film, and his guidance made this one of the best films I've ever seen regarding the military of the United States.
K. Lorrel Manning Directed this film, and as a completely unbiased onlooker, I'll tell you now. He did not do this film for money, or fame. He did it because he wants people to never forget the men & women of the armed forces who die and get physically and mentally maimed for us every day. He is a great human being, an outstanding Director, and someone I can truly say is selfless in this era of self promotion and greed. He did this film for Veterans, he shed light on people who are forgotten. I thank him for this, and for being selfless when the world needs people to remember those who give up everything so that we citizens of the US of A can have the wonderful lives we live every day.
I got a chance after the show to speak with K. Lorrel Manning, I shook his hand and told him how powerful his film was. He is a great Director, he gave us a film about a subject that most Director's would never think of bringing to the big screen. He is a pioneer in film making, and someone who truly thought about Veteran's when creating this film. He & Michael Cuomo should be proud of what they brought to the silver screen. It was gut wrenching drama, and something people needed to see to better understand the sacrifices made for all of us in the United States. Thanks to the entire crew of Happy New Year for a film I will never forget. And thanks most of all to the Veteran's who live this life every day, I will never forget you. Your country loves you, you did the dirty work for us who are sheltered. We love you. You will never, ever be forgotten.
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