The movie I picked to watch on day 6 of my 34 Days of Oscar was "Hell and Back Again". This year, "Hell and Back Again" has been nominated for Best Feature Documentary at the Academy Awards."Hell and Back Again" is the story of Sgt. Daniel Harris who was serving in Afghanistan in 2009. Near the end of his assignment, he was shot and severely injured. This film covers the first few months after Sgt. Harris returns home and deals with the Physical Therapy and the Post Traumatic Stress he has to endure. He has the help of his wife Ashley to get through the everyday things he cannot currently do, include dressing himself and walking more than a few feet at a time. The
filmmakers intersperse footage of Nathan's recovery with his last few months in combat. "Hell and Back Again" also shows you the PTSD that Nathan is enduring without hitting you over the head with it. There are chilling moments at home where Nathan just pulls a gun out and you get the feeling, for a brief second, that something bad can happen here. This kind of tension is part of what makes "Hell and Back Again" interesting and what helped get it nominated for Best Feature Documentary for this year's Academy Awards.
filmmakers intersperse footage of Nathan's recovery with his last few months in combat. "Hell and Back Again" also shows you the PTSD that Nathan is enduring without hitting you over the head with it. There are chilling moments at home where Nathan just pulls a gun out and you get the feeling, for a brief second, that something bad can happen here. This kind of tension is part of what makes "Hell and Back Again" interesting and what helped get it nominated for Best Feature Documentary for this year's Academy Awards.I love the idea of what this film is trying to do, I just wish they had 
followed it to it's rightful end. The movie feels unfinished and just when I felt the movie was about to peak, it just ended. I wish the filmmakers has allowed more time to film Nathan to the end of his recovery, instead of leaving his future up in the air. The visual and editorial style of the film worked great for me and the footage used from Afghanistan was crisp and enthralling. I liked the lack of narration here, just using the words of Nathan and his wife Ashley to tell the story.
followed it to it's rightful end. The movie feels unfinished and just when I felt the movie was about to peak, it just ended. I wish the filmmakers has allowed more time to film Nathan to the end of his recovery, instead of leaving his future up in the air. The visual and editorial style of the film worked great for me and the footage used from Afghanistan was crisp and enthralling. I liked the lack of narration here, just using the words of Nathan and his wife Ashley to tell the story. 
I give "Hell and Back Again" 2.5 out of 5 stars. The story is entertaining and the movie itself looks polished, but I just felt cheated by the lack of an ending. If we had even had just a little summary to let us know what happened to Nathan and his wife, I would have felt better. It felt like the filmmakers were trying to rush their film out and this haste denied us a chance to get some closure here. If there were a follow up to Nathan and his struggles, I would be interested to watch it and then I might look more favorably upon this movie.
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