The Invisible War - Presentation

The Invisible War is written and directed by Kirby Dick. The film won the Audience Award for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival this year (2012). You can view a trailer for the film here: http://invisiblewarmovie.com


The Invisible War correlates with the following models and modes:

NONFICTION MODELS 
1. History - Recount what really happened, offers an interpretation or perspective on it.

2. Testimonial - Assemble oral history or witnesses who recount their personal experience.
DOCUMENTARY MODES
1. Observational - Look on as social actors go about their lives.
2. Participatory - Interviews (Nichols, 150).

The voice demonstrated in The Invisible War focuses on the emotional damage and complicated after-affects that veteran rape victims continually deal with on a daily basis. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, severe depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, shattered "military pride" illusions, family and relationship struggles, complexity of the military justice system, injustices from the Veterans Affairs, etc. Dick reveals the voice through selected parts of the characters' personal experiences, which is done in post-production editing. The overall juxtaposition of the edited pieces from the original interview footage is what makes up the film and therefore creates the voice of the film.

However, upon my own research done after viewing the film, I learned that prominent details to the underlying problem of the military rape epidemic (or at least the important core issue in need of examination here) were not included in the voice, or the actual film itself. For instance, a group interview involving all of the characters portrayed in the film was conducted after the premiere at Sundance backstage. The characters re-told their personal stories, the same stories we saw and heard pieces of, and listening to them unedited acknowledged and revealed how the attack was solely an action for power and control by their attacker. This is significant detail because first, it clarifies rape is; there is no sexual desire or lust involved when it comes to this sexual crime. Rape is about power. It is a way to show or "prove" that the attacker is bigger, stronger and better than the victim. Second, the attention of power brought up in the group interview leads to believe that the character stated this in the personal interview (which was editing into the film) with the co-producter, Amy Ziering. This shows the possibility that Dick's call to the editor was to not include the reasons behind rape, elevating the heavy truth and core reason that so many women in the military suffer -- misogyny. 

In the film, Dick includes bits of information that refer to the psychological difference between rape criminals and "normal" people, yet he does not explore deeper into the meaning of what is said or the criminal mind itself for an authentic investigation. It seems as though Dick wanted to emphasize the seriousness of rape (and therefore chose to add in only a few facts made by authors and professions), however he lacked any definition of what rape is and dismisses the psychological factor of the criminals themselves--even though his film envelopes the psychology of the victims. For instance, in the film a piece of an interview states that rapists are "repetitive criminals" (The Invisible War, 2012). Also mentioned via voiceover is that the attackers go on to rape girls and boys in residential neighborhoods after they're done serving and leave the military (The Invisible War, 2012). Furthermore, it is stated in another piece of an interview that rapists "stalk their prey" and wait to attack at the victims most vulnerable moment (The Invisible War, 2012). Referring to some character traits which describe a rapist, this implies a pre-meditated act of violence and infers to question the psychology of the perpetrator. But Dick, despite involving these pieces into the film, does not explain, expand or emphasize the mind of the rapist or question how such criminals are even allowed to serve.

From information both displayed in the film as well as gathered through outside interviews and the printed production notes, Dick has a much more deeper argument than he makes; in fact the underlying answer to realistically take the first step to change the current rape epidemic consists in the information he know, yet chooses to ignore bringing to the public might. The Invisible War is cited as an investigative piece in multiple film reviews, however this is not investigative at all--it is structured, scripted and focused on the original plan of just bringing awareness that rape is happening in the military.

References

Nichols, Bill. Introduction To Documentary. 2^nd Ed. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana  University Press, 2010.

The Invisible War. Dir. Kirby Dick. Chain Camera Pictures, 2012. Film.