Michael Kamber reviews Hell And Back Again, a documentary by Danfung Dennis:
The Marines fight day after day against an unseen enemy, seemingly making little headway. They deliver good-will speeches to local leaders who stare blankly, then ask, “If you really want to help us, why don’t you leave?” … It is hard to see the film and not make comparisons to Restrepo, the other masterpiece of the Afghan war. Restrepo, too, shows the war’s devastating effect on soldiers’ lives, yet it is suffused with warmth and love. Mr. Dennis spent a year with Sgt. Harris and his wife, and certainly he could have chosen to tell many stories with his footage. The one he settled upon in “Hell and Back Again” gives the viewer nothing back; one leaves empty, frustrated at the wait for redemption that never comes. This hard, cold film feels much like the distant war that has gone on for 10 years with little payoff.
The Dish 