With Iraq documentaries having fared poorly at the box office, a new film, "Body of War," could mark a turning point because it brings to the big screen a subject that has yet to be broached by a major movie. "It's the voice of a soldier," said Ellen Spiro, co-director of the film. Spiro co-directs with long-time TV talk show host Phil Donahue, who said, "We are not saying we are better, but we are different," when asked about comparing "Body of War" with other Iraq documentaries.

    The film's subject is paralyzed Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, who was shot through the spine in Iraq on April 4, 2004. Young's transformation from war veteran to antiwar hero (as the movie poster boasts) is mixed well with the speech of Senator Byrd (D-West Virginia) against the resolution giving President Bush the power to invade Iraq. Also tallied throughout, are the names of the aye votes on this resolution, of which there were 77.

    By the end of the film, the audience knows the arguments made for and against war from the Senate floor, but much more moving is the personal connection formed with Young. His personal life is opened up from his marriage (and its eventual collapse) to his erectile dysfunction. The audience watches the middle Young brother go off to war as Tomas watches from his wheelchair. The credits reveal Young's brother comes home safely from that deployment, only to be redeployed in September of 2007. He remains in Iraq, trying to keep the phone conversations with his brother on the light side.

    The film ends on a touching moment, with Byrd and Young both admitting they have little control over their respective days. After the initial credits roll, the names of all 23 senators and 133 representatives voting against the resolution are shown on the screen; and at the premier in Washington, DC, a sold-out crowd rose to their feet in roaring applause.

    Not appearing in the film is the friendship developed between Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Young, which blossomed out of Vedder writing an original song for the movie and putting together its star-studded soundtrack (all proceeds of which are being donated to Iraq Veterans Against the War, an organization to which Tomas belongs). The soundtrack features artists one may expect on an antiwar CD like Michael Franti and Neil Young, but also some surprises like Bruce Springsteen and Ben Harper. It is also quite musically diverse, with artists ranging from Bright Eyes to Immortal Technique.

    "Body of War" opened in Washington, DC, on the four-year anniversary of Young being shot, and is now showing in theaters throughout the country.

www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040708A.shtml