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Crash Landing (Operation ReTour)
New York Premiere!
An hour-long documentary by Luc Côté
PRESS RELEASE
Visit the OFFICIAL WEBSITE
| Watch the TRAILER
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006
8:30 - Live Music by Marla Hansen (viola and vocals, click for details)
9:00 - Showtime
TRT: 0:52:00
On the roof of Downtown Community Television (DCTV) | DIRECTIONS
87 Lafayette, 2 blocks below Canal btwn Walker & White, Tribeca, Manhattan
Crash Landing (Operation ReTour)
Wounds of war in times of peace. Since 1990, Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed around the world: in the Persian
Gulf, Rwanda, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lebanoné Though they go as peacekeepers, soldiers must prepare for war,
and do their jobs in the midst of the planet's bloodiest conflicts. Some lose their lives, others their souls. Fifteen
to 20 percent of soldiers are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and fail in their ultimate assignment,
that of returning to civilian life. They crash land.
Georges, Leandro, Marc and Nathalie are among that number. Brave soldiers trained in combat, prepared to kill and
be killed, ready for anything, anything but to be diagnosed with a grave psychological disorder. Stoic, fiercely committed
and loyal to the military image, they hid their illnesses for a long time, ignoring early symptoms that would eventually
engulf and plunge them into an endless nightmare. Some sought help, as did Nathalie, on board a ship patrolling the
Persian Gulf. Like the others, she lived in constant fear of an attack that she and her colleagues had orders not
to respond to—the paradox of being in a war without being able to make war, even in self-defense. This irresolvable
contradiction and terrible source of anxiety was exacerbated by the promiscuous atmosphere aboard the ship and Nathalie's
memories of an attempted rape. But no one listened, either to her or to the others. In the army, one shouldn't think
too much, and one doesn't complain. Signs of weakness are seen as cowardice, so one stifles the murmurings of one's
soul. A tacit rule that unfortunately doesn't cure the ill or stem its relentless course.
Torn by contradictions between their sense of duty and their personal values, overwhelmed by the horrors of war on
the ground and their obvious helplessness, many peacekeepers break down. Their armor cracks, leaving fear, guilt and
illness to infiltrate, beginning a long descent into hell. Whether linked to a specific, shocking event, or to the
impossibility of taking action when confronted with an intolerable situation, post-traumatic stress disorder is a
cancer whose symptoms include nightmares, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, anger, as well as physical ailments.
Medicine has yet to learn how to treat this complex of symptoms that can be activated by the smallest event, and that
seems to exist at a kind of cellular level. Crises can be triggered in the course of daily life, to the extent that
Georges, Marc and Nathalie have sought refuge in rural isolation, while Leandro rarely leaves his apartment. Thoughts
of suicide are frequent among all victims for whom life itself has become terrifying, an impossible burden. Completely
dysfunctional, they aspire to little more than prolonging as long as possible the brief moments of respite they occasionally
enjoy. Most victims, gravely wounded in their souls, will never fulfill their mission of returning to civilian life.
And their tragedy is made worse by the cavalier attitudes of the government and the army.
Through the poignant testimonies of soldiers discharged for "reasons of health", director Luc Cít sheds light on
a taboo and neglected subject. Ill-prepared to deal with psychological distress, the Army does not consider victims
of post-traumatic stress disorder as war-wounded. Nor does it keep statistics on suicides in the ranks. Unable to
manage an affliction that threatens to shake the military fortress to its foundations, it prefers to ignore the problem,
simply crossing the names off personnel lists. Literally abandoned to their sad fate, those who served their country
loyally feel betrayed, cruelly deceived. Having lost the illusion of their invincibility, they find themselves dispossessed
of their professional status and of any remaining shred of pride. They lose even their will to live. Beyond the catastrophe
post-traumatic stress represents for those afflicted by it, the syndrome also constitutes a serious threat to the
image of the Canadian Armed Forces and the government. It raises serious questions about the army's modus operandi
and the pertinence of Canada's policy of intervention.
Crash Landing opens our eyes to the impossible daily lives of human beings devastated by pain, and in so doing,
reveals the true face of war and its deadly power of destruction. "We act as buffers in order to shelter the Canadian
population from the horrors of war," says Stephane, a lieutenant colonel. "What I think about war is that we would
be better off without it." How valid are these peace missions whose consequences and dangerous nature are unknown
to the general public? Do we need other forms of intervention to deal effectively with the complexity of modern-day
conflicts and the proliferation of terrorist acts? Can we just keep increasing the number of missions without an equivalent
increase in resources? How to protect soldiers from the psychic death they are unwittingly exposed to? These questions
form the background to the powerful, personal testimonies that are the heart of Crash Landing. A film of immense
sensitivity that questions the State and all of humanity.
Short films precede the feature:
Antonio's Breakfast (Daniel Mulloy | London, UK | 13:00)
A young man in dangerous housing project goes through a somber daily routine taking care of his sickly father. The
unexpected compassion of his friends belies their tough exterior, and although Antonio is ashamed, tired, and seemingly
at his breaking point, his ability to care for his father is stunning.
Dimensions (Rob Chui | London, UK | 5:00)
Based on the disturbing reminiscences of a man who had acute schizophrenia, this frenetic animated film offers a powerful
glimpse into a suffering mind.
THE MUSIC:
"Hello, hello, I am Marla the viola player. So, here's my story: About a year ago my friends in Hi Red Center asked
me to open for them at a gig the Charleston. No big deal, one would think, except for the fact that I hadn't written
any songs at that point in my life. They had heard me sing a folk tune in a wacky new piece during my friend Ian's
percussion recital, and were crazy/mad/kind enough to ask me to do more. So, I decided to throw caution to the wind
and went for it, I wrote three songs on my viola in a week and a half, borrowed a song from a friend, and did the
worlds shortest opening set ever. And I was hooked. Since then I've been writing and playing as much as my little
hands allow."
Visit her on MySpace at www.myspace.com/marlahansen.
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