While not a documentry, it is still an important film about the Iraq war, and the solders and families fighting it. Trey Ellis on the HuffPost calls it this generation's Deer Hunter:
Just like The Deer Hunter, Stop-Loss lifted the veil for me, disabused me of my romantic notions of war. I left furious at this administration for toying with these earnest young men, robbing them of their youth for a web of lies, traumatizing them not to keep us safe at home but so old men could play army and get rich.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
If you are thinking about seeing it, see it this weekend. I'm seeing it tomorrow.
For all the reasons we saw Al Gore's film, An Inconvenient Truth on it's opening weekend: good numbers this weekend will get it unto more screens, shown longer and more press. And the more people that see this film, the more the Iraq war will influence their vote come Novemember.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, a film critic for EW:
The director and co-writer, Boys Don't Cry's Kimberly Peirce, lived and worried through her own brother's deployment to Iraq. And she incorporated stories he told of soldiers devastated by Stop-Loss — a policy that allows the military to send servicemen and -women back to combat even after they've served out their military contract. In some sense, Peirce is a horrified civilian, trying to keep everyone safe.
From Yahoo Movies:
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Timothy Olyphant, Ciaran Hinds
Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Brandon tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of his family and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with him in Iraq. Alongside their war-time buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq. This upends Brandon's entire world. The conflict into which he is thrown tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love, and the value of honor.