Route Irish (2011)

A man, Fergus (Mark Womack), has come home to bury his friend. They shared dreams once, of going abroad, seeing the world, and they did, as soldiers, but only one of them came back. He died on the Route Irish, a road while picking up a journalist from the airport. Route Irish, by the way, is a codename for the road going from the Bagdad Airport to the Green Zone (the most dangerous road in the world).

The man feels responsible for his friend's death, and now he is investigating the incident. It should be mentioned here that he stole his friend's phone and found some images and films that might incriminate the people he worked for. As he delves into the circumstances leading to his friend's death, he also relives his own experiences abroad.

Ken Loach is a master of these films; films that doesn't just tell a story, but explain to us how the world works. This might not be "based on real events", but it could have been; these are the stories we see on the news every day. I recently watched a movie much like this, called In the Valley of Elah, with Tommy Lee Jones. These two movies are kindred spirits in many ways, as they both follow men who are looking for answers, and both involve the military in Iraq. There are major differences, of course, but enough to bind them together. Like one of these and chances are that you'll like the other one as well.

Last words... regardless of how you feel about Iraq, watch this movie. It is about people trying to do what they feel is right, about uncovering answers when people would rather that they didn't. The truth is not always pleasant, but it is... the truth.