Lone survivor: A film critique
Published on Nov 18, 2015
Grief and Loss Presentation
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Main character: Marcus Luttrell
Marcus Luttrell is a US Navy SEAL. The story depicts the mission he and his comrades undertook during the beginning of the war in the Middle East. The story progresses through the struggles the soldiers experienced. It specifically discusses how this mission affected Marcus and his comrades.
Beginning of the film
- In the beginning of the film, the main characters are laid out
- The audience is able to see where the characters are coming from
- Photos of significant others, parents, etc. are shown
- The director does this to connect the characters to the audience
The main characters of the film are soldiers that fought alongside Marcus. They include:
*Team Cmdr. Lieut. Michael Patrick Murray-Born May 7, 1976; Died June 28, 2005; Age 29
*Sonar Technician Second-Class Matthew "Axe" Axelson-Born June 25, 1976; Died June 28, 2005; Age 29
*Gunner's Mate Danny Dietz-Born January 26, 1980; Died June 28, 2005; Age 25
*Lieutenant Commander Eric Kristensen-Born March 15, 1972; Died June 28, 2005; Age 33
* Petty Ofc. Second-Class Shane Eric Patton-Born November 15, 1982; Died June 28, 2005; Age: 22
The beginning of the film showed each of these individuals and the life they left in order to fight in the war.
*Team Cmdr. Lieut. Michael Patrick Murray-Born May 7, 1976; Died June 28, 2005; Age 29
*Sonar Technician Second-Class Matthew "Axe" Axelson-Born June 25, 1976; Died June 28, 2005; Age 29
*Gunner's Mate Danny Dietz-Born January 26, 1980; Died June 28, 2005; Age 25
*Lieutenant Commander Eric Kristensen-Born March 15, 1972; Died June 28, 2005; Age 33
* Petty Ofc. Second-Class Shane Eric Patton-Born November 15, 1982; Died June 28, 2005; Age: 22
The beginning of the film showed each of these individuals and the life they left in order to fight in the war.
Photo by mescon
Creating the mission
- The film progresses to the mission phase
- Characters are assigned their duties
- The general makes a mission plan
- Troubleshooting problems for the mission are discussed
- Backup plans are put into place
During this part of the movie, the soldiers are convened and discuss the mission. Each of the members are assigned their duties and the main plan is put into concrete terms. After the mission is set, the individuals talk about what to do in the case of problems arising. The team puts backup plans in place in case things start to go awry.
Photo by eogin21
Creating the mission
- The film progresses to the mission phase
- Characters are assigned their duties
- The general makes a mission plan
- Troubleshooting problems for the mission are discussed
- Backup plans are put into place
During this part of the movie, the soldiers are convened and discuss the mission. Each of the members are assigned their duties and the main plan is put into concrete terms. After the mission is set, the individuals talk about what to do in the case of problems arising. The team puts backup plans in place in case things start to go awry.
Photo by eogin21
Executing the mission
- The soldiers arrive at their mission destination
- Problems seem to be arising quite quickly and soon after arrival
- The soldiers start putting into place the backup plans
- With each backup plan, a problem arises
- Tension increases as the soldiers try to fix the problems
At this point of the film, the soldiers arrived at their destination. They began implementing the mission plans that were to be initiated. During this time, problems seemed to be coming up quite frequently. In order to combat the problems, the soldiers started troubleshooting problems in order for the mission to be completed. Yet, each time a problem was solved, another problem seemed to pop-up. The soldiers did their best in order to complete the mission in the time allotted.
Photo by U.S. Army Environmental Command
Discovery
- As the mission progressed, the problems started compounding
- Then, the unit encounters some shepherds who are believed to be the enemy
- The soldiers detain this shepherds and try to figure out what to do
- Decision: Release the shepherds and go home to try again
- One of the shepherds runs into the town and alerts the enemy
At this point in the film, the unit is still trying to figure everything out and make sure that things start to run smoothly. The unit then encounters some shepherds who they believe will go back and tell the enemy that they are there. The soldiers detain the shepherds and talk amongst themselves to figure out what to do. It was decided they will leave the shepherds go and call the mission compromised. After being let go, one of the shepherds runs back into the town and alerts the enemy.
Photo by Mr.Fink's Finest Photos
Running
- The soldiers recognize the Shepherd alerted the enemy
- They understand that they need to get out of the situation quickly
- Running, the soldiers try to get out of the environment as soon as possible
- They discover they are surrounded and need to start being offensive
- The fight begins
After they released the shepherds, the soldiers understand their position was given away. They started to try and find their way out of the mission and reverted to their escape plan. The plans did not fall into place like they were supposed to which trapped the soldiers in their environment. They then discover they are surrounded and would need to start to use force in order to stay alive. At this point, they engage the enemy.
Photo by familymwr
The battle
- The soldiers engage the enemy
- Throughout the fight scenes, Marcus' comrades start to get shot
- They fall off of cliffs, hit trees, enduring explosions, etc.
- Towards the end of the fight, Marcus' friends start to die
- They try to fight as long as possible and attempt to call backup
While the soldiers are engage in the enemy, they are getting shot and shrapnel from explosions are starting to injure them. Due to the nature of the fight, they continue to try and run which causes them to hurl themselves off of cliffs to survive. During this fall, the soldiers are injured. They are also continuing to be shot at and getting injured from the bullets. Towards the end of the fight, Marcus and his friends are becoming increasingly weak. Marcus' friends then start to die from the injuries they sustained. Trying to call back up, they were not successful. Yet, one of the soldiers was able to get through before he died.
Photo by theglowingstars
Backup plan ruined
- After calling in for backup, it was deployed to the soldiers location
- While attempting to save the soldiers, the enemy took out a rocket launcher
- The helicopter was then shot down and all of the soldiers inside died
- Marcus supposedly seen this and was devastated
- Marcus continued his survival without backup and without friends
The back up helicopters were deployed to the location of Marcus and his comrades. Since all of his friends passed away, Marcus was the only one to see the helicopter arrive. Yet, the joy was short-lived due to the enemy taking out a rocket launcher and aiming it at the helicopter. The enemy fired and hit the helicopter, making it explode. All of the soldiers inside, died. The film then showed Marcus looking devastated due to back up being destroyed and not having friends to provide safety.
Photo by USACE HQ
Help from an usual source
- Marcus kept moving in order to survive
- He ended up in a Afghanistan camp
- One of the individuals there probably Marcus into his home
- He repaired Marcus as best as possible, giving food, etc.
- The enemy entered the Village looking for Marcus
Marcus continue to travel in order to survive. He happened upon a camp in which one of the individuals there took him into his home. While in this man's home, Marcus was given food and water and was provided materials to help him repair his wounds. While still in the village, the enemy found the camp and Marcus was scared for his life.
Photo by George Doyle
Returning home
- In the village, the enemy descended upon it
- Before they could get to Marcus, the man stopped the enemy
- In their culture, there was a law protecting outsiders from others
- Marcus was then able to get a message to his home base
- The soldiers from the base arrived and took Marcus home
The enemy entered the village looking for Marcus. They found him and were going to execute him, just like they did to his friends. Before they were able to complete their actions, the man who saved Marcus stepped in and quoted a law of their culture called Pashtunwali. What this meant as the man who was taking care of Marcus provided protection under this ancient code. The enemy honored the code due to their cultural adherence and left Marcus live. Marcus was able to get a message to his base and the soldiers from his base immediately came to his aid. Marcus was then able to return home.
Critique
- The film was very well written and performed
- Actors in the movie seemed to take the roles extremely seriously
- It was a very emotional film that targeted the emotions of the audience
- The film seemed to follow the actual events described by Marcus
- Overall, a great film that should be viewed by everyone
The actors and director of this film did an amazing job in representing the events that these soldiers went through. It seemed as though the movie was able to follow the events in which it was based off of. It was extraordinary to see the actors take on the roles flawlessly and with great respect. The way the film was produced and directed, targeted the emotions of the audience in a way I have not experienced before. The film was very engaging, yet was also difficult to get through due to the emotions it brought up. Overall, the quality, the story line, and the overall presentation of the film was spectacular.
Counseling setting
- Upon returning, I believe that Marcus would need counseling
- He experienced such a traumatic event
- As a veteran, special considerations would need to be accounted for
- Some type of trauma focused therapy I believe would be beneficial
- Marcus may be resistant at first, but hopefully rapport building would help
After watching this film, I immediately thought Marcus could benefit from counseling. From my professional opinion, he would probably have some posttraumatic stress as well as grief and loss issues surrounding his friends. In order to combat these feelings and help Marcus succeed in becoming part of society again, I believe Marcus would need someone to help him. Yet, I don't think it could be just anyone. I believe it would need to be someone who has some specialization or interest in helping veterans through their issues. Due to his veteran status, Marcus may have some ideas and thoughts that keep him in a spot of being stuck. Although, if a therapist was able to connect with him, he would more than likely be able to open up and discuss his traumatic experiences. With this, some type of trauma focused therapy would be extremely beneficial. Techniques could include EMDR or trauma focused CBT. Having competence in these areas, I believe would be the most beneficial for Marcus. This is due to these therapies being specifically designed to help in individual through their traumatic past. Not only that, but I believe using one of these trauma focused therapys would also be able to help Marcus through the grieving process. Losing his friends in the way that he did, would probably cause extreme grieving issues. If he does not receive proper treatment, my professional opinion is that Marcus is going to be stuck on this issue as well as haunted by the memories.Marcus may be haunted anyway, yet I believe therapy would be able to hopefully lessen the blow of the emotions he experiences.
Conclusion
- After reviewing this film, I was surprised at the emotions
- As an individual who wants to help veterans, I think this film was great
- Individuals looking to help veterans would benefit from watching this film
- It brings up issues that may arise in a counseling setting
- Seeing these emotions, in my opinion, is the best way to learn
While watching the film, I was kind of surprised at how emotional I got. I normally do not have any emotions arise in such a way as it did during this film. I was able to put myself in the soldier's shoes and kind of imagine how it would feel experiencing what they did. I believe this is probably why some of my emotions started to rise. After thinking back, I think this would be in amazing film to see if an individual wanted to help veterans. It depicts some of the scenarios that a veteran may come back with and describe to the counselor. If unprepared, the counselor may feel inadequate and overwhelmed by the stories. Yet, if they were able to kind of buffer the situation with this film, it may help them become a more competent counselor because it would allow them to do research about these issues before hand. Also, I believe the film would raise emotions and feelings in the counselor that they may not have experienced before. Being able to work through these feelings and emotions with a supervisor or process them with a professional, would probably be extremely beneficial for the conflicts become better.
Photo by teetabayou
