Zain Hashmat

In all of American cinema there has only been a handful of truly fantastic films focusing on the heart wrenching truths of what our American veterans face, which is a true shame.

Most of the time Hollywood’s films wear a badge of overt patriotism resulting in what could be considered as moronic diversion. What our vets face isn’t something to glamorize or show off as entertainment, it is something to consciously care for and display with the utmost respect.

Writer/director Jason Hall understands how the stories of our veterans needs to be told and he does it with a bold sense of no-nonsense filmmaking making his feature debut a well-made piece of work.

Thank You For Your Service follows three veterans attempting to live life at home after a traumatizing experience in Iraq. Hall impressively dodges almost every cliché in the book as he tells this story. Although true to real life, our characters are not big macho men with hidden emotions where the film slowly peels away at how they are truly feeling.

In a rare yet heartfelt move, these real life heroes are traumatized figures filled with emotion from the get go. Miles Teller plays Adam Schumman, a broken man whose mistakes during the war haunt him day by day. Played with a delicate liveliness, Teller gives Schumman a personality of distinct realism. Schumman is an actual person, and Teller’s portrayal gives Schumman a complex forcefulness that feels all too real. Haley Bennet plays Saskia Schumman, Teller’s wife, who remains as interesting as Schumman himself, and rightfully so. Her struggle to understand Schumman highlights these stories from a different perspective and gives respect to the families and friends trying their hardest to support the veterans in their lives.

Newcomer Tausolo Aieti plays Beulah Koale, a character whose story is exceptionally unique. Koale believes the Army has improved his life, where opportunities for him before the war wouldn’t have risen otherwise. Attacked with aggressive PTSD, Aieti also plays a real life hero where he pushes his acting capabilities to the limit giving us one heart wrenching after the other. Koale is a fascinating character to watch and someone Aieti exhibits with immense understanding.

Joe Cole’s Will Waller is a man who grapples with the realization that his fiancé and daughter might have left him while he was at war. A storyline that could be a film unto itself, Waller’s painstakingly melancholy journey gives Service a tale that pops with cinematic flair.

Hall cares for these characters and it shows in the numerous quiet, still moments that are given to us. Hall refuses to simply entertain yet also manages to instill a sense of artful craftsmanship.

Lacking in true plot but filled with moments of wondrous character, Thank You For Your Service does not look at the people it depicts as ploys for a compelling film. Instead Service highlights three struggling men to give us a glimpse into the lives of thousands.

Zain Hashmat is a film student from Meridian. An avid lover of film and literature, Hashmat will check out one movie on Thursday nights and give his take on the best (and worst) that cinema has to offer that weekend. He hopes his passionate reviews will get The Star’s readers excited to get up and go to the movies.