Of Men and War
Directed by Laurent Bécue-Renard
Documentary | 2014 | 142 min
Produced by Alice Films & Louise Productions
Anger consumes a dozen combat vets long after their return from the front. The warriors in Of Men and War have come home to the United States, but their minds are stuck out on the battlefield. Like figures from a Greek tragedy, all have traumatic memories that haunt them to this day. Ghosts and echoes of the war fill their lives. Threats seem to spring out from everywhere. Wives, children, and parents bear the burden of their shattered spirits.
At the Pathway Home, a first-of-its-kind PTSD therapy center, the film's protagonists resolve themselves to end the ongoing destruction. Their therapist, a Vietnam War vet himself, helps the young men forge a meaning from their trauma. Over years of therapy, Of Men and War explores their exhausting paths to recovery, as they attempt to make peace with themselves, their past and their families.
A film written and directed by : Laurent Bécue-Renard
DOP : Camille Cottagnoud
Editing : Ididore Bethel, Sophie Brunet & Charlotte Boigeol
Music : Kudsi Erguner
Sound operator : Cyril Bécue
Sound editing : Sandie Bompar
Mix : Fanny Weinzaepflen
Director assistants : Marc Benda & Emmanuel Dayan
Production : Alice Films
Producer : Laurent Bécue-Renard
Associate producers : Thierry Garrel & Isidore Bethel
Production consultant : Anne Aghion
Coproduction : Louise Productions
Coproducers : Heinz Dill & Elisabeth Garbar
In coproduction with :
Radio Télévision Suisse
Unité documentaire, Irène Challand & Gaspard Lamunière
With the support of :
Office fédéral de la culture
Cinéforom et la Loterie Romande
CNC
Fondation GAN pour le cinéma
Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Région Basse-Normandie
Maison de l'Image
Commission franco-américaine
Ciclic - Région Centre
CCAS
Napa Valley Community Foundation
Brouillon d'un rêve de la Scam
Shot in : Pathway Home (Yountville, California) and various US locations
Prize and selections
Prize Best feature documentary, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2014
Official selection, Festival de Cannes 2014
Selected for the Best European documentary, EFA European Film Awards 2014
Festivals
Istanbul FF
DocumentaMadrid
Planet Doc
Sydney FF
Moscou FF
Open City Docs Fest
Jerusalem FF
Little Rock FF
Riviera Maya FF