By Daniel Rutledge
Armadillo is a particularly good documentary following Danish troops in the Helmand province in Afghanistan.
Be warned, it is shocking. It caused some controversy in Denmark with its graphic look at wounded Danes, freshly killed enemy combatants and the exuberance some soldiers express at the carnage.
There are no talking head interviews, it's simply an embedded documentary crew’s footage accompanied by a subtle and brilliant score.
A lot of the focus in Armadillo is centered on the addiction of young men to the adrenaline-buzz of combat. It’s disturbing but understandable to see the soldiers bragging about wanting to see ‘action’, and how they act when their wish is fulfilled.
There is also some attention in the film directed at the seemingly eternally victimized Afghani civilians. They try and co-operate with the allied forces and help drive the Taliban out, but they face severe punishment for doing so.
The insurgents launch attacks on allies from civilian compounds which continually puts the locals – and their vital livestock and crops – in the firing line.
The film’s start in Denmark with emotional airport farewells, as well as its depiction of phonecalls to loved ones back home throughout the tour of duty, really hammers home how human the soldiers are. This makes it all the more powerful to see that humanity under threat as they change into battle-hardened soldiers.
There will be obvious comparisons to Restrepo, the other Afghanistan war doco in the World Cinema Showcase. That is a little unfortunate as while both are brilliant and quite unique from each other, Restrepo is the better of the two.
But Armadillo is still a great, enthralling and thought-provoking film.
Four stars.
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Note: This film is playing as part of the World Cinema
Showcase - visit the official
website for session times and more info.
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