Films about our current situation in Iraq are not necessarily why we go to movie theaters. We’ve seen recent films on Iraq fail repeatedly at the box office and there is a reason. We generally go to theaters to escape reality, not to confront it. Right now there’s a goodly portion of the current election hinging on a stance regarding what we do in Iraq. There is no easy answer.

Most of the films we’ve seen have been documentaries about the various atrocities that are taking place in this war. Films like the one Brian DePalma made. Films that do not raise our estimation of our young men and women fighting everyday thousands of miles from where we are today?

Kimberly Peirce has made a film that isn’t about the terrible situation in Iraq. The soldiers depicted in this situation are men trying to do their job as best they know how to do. Shit does go down – and that shit is not the stuff of happiness, but it isn’t the sort of thing that makes us think worse of our soldiers.

The soldiers in Pierce’s film are short – they’re coming home. They’re from small town Texas – and after a very powerful opening where some men lose their lives and limbs… well its time for them to go home.

For Ryan Phillipe and Channing Tatum’s characters of Brandon and Steve… it’s time to go home. Brandon is looking forward to moving on with his life. And Steve? Well, he’s going to marry his fiancé, played by Abbie Cornish. These aren’t complicated people. They signed up for the military to fight and protect their country’s interest. They don’t feel the government owes them anything. They’re just ready to continue their post service life. They’ve done their bit for flag and country.

Then on the day where they turn in their gear and they’re supposed to get their discharge papers – they learn a new word for the day… STOP LOSS. The term STOP LOSS isn’t new in the military – and the current administration isn’t the first to use its authority to extend soldiers term of service. STOP LOSS came about after the draft was stopped. And it was first used during the first Gulf War by the first President Bush – and has been used during every military engagement from the first Gulf War – through Bosnia all the way to the engagements we are in today.

Ryan’s Brandon does not accept being STOP LOSS’d. Something happened on that final mission that shot his nerves, that made him no longer wish to be in charge of men in a combat situation. He doesn’t want people maimed and killed under his command – and moreso… he feels that this isn’t right. That he was being shafted by his country – and he was going to fight it.

The situation gets bad, right from the get go. We end up learning that there is apparently an underground railroad for getting service men in this situation to Canada or Mexico. The film paints a desperate situation for Ryan’s Brandon. Not only that, but Channing’s Steve decides to reenlist so he can get sniper training so he can choose his method of service – and this causes strife between him and his fiancé.

The story of STOP LOSS is a powerful modern military story. It doesn’t judge the war, nor does it paint our politicians in a good or evil light. Rather, the film shows the situation for our soldiers that get caught up in this system as being in a bad situation.

There are no solutions, no proposals made. This film is realistic and the choices are actually fairly simple for a soldier in this situation. They go back to Iraq.

The film, STOP LOSS, is a pro-soldier film about an unfair situation that many of our military men are in. Without a draft – and without high enlistment numbers… the policy of STOP LOSS will continue – not just through Iraq, but through any military engagement that occurs during a soldier’s time of service. It simply is the policy that exists in our modern military. You can learn more about it: here!

So how is the movie? The performances and the direction are excellent. This is a mature film with solid performances across the board. Nobody is dressed up to be an easy villain – and nobody is dumbed down to be a fool. The situation is what it is.

With BOYS DON’T CRY and now STOP LOSS – Kimberly Peirce continues her rather intimate story-telling. The situation isn’t pretty in either film. One dealing with sexual issues in America – and this one dealing with military service issues. She tackles both with a very sharp emotional point of view. These characters are alive and strong – and the situations… real.

There are ads on television that would have you believe this is a film about a military romance. That it’s a sweet story. Those elements are here, but be forewarned, this is a film about a situation that isn’t happy or cheery. Don’t look for fairy tale endings, because this story is about a situation that is sad for our soldiers – and one that doesn’t make you feel good about how they’re treated by the government.

That said, this is a film that will improve with time. It’s a very good film. Just hard to watch with the knowledge that this IS what is happening right now. That’s hard to escape while watching this story. But then, this isn’t a movie to escape reality, but to confront it and to expose it.