This deserves the award it won at Cannes. Our theater is only showing this for a few days, it seems, although they have now doubled the amount of showings. It was packed when I went. Maybe this will aid in the situation and approach finally being reevaluated, because it clearly is hopeless right now; if you weren't certain, this will cement it for you. This has some of the best photography I've ever witnessed, and not only for a documentary. I find it hard to believe that the cameramen were always entirely safe during this. This Danish piece of non-fiction depicts six months at the Armadillo base in the Helmand province. We see the young men in various moods, a handful of them expected, others not. They entertain themselves and each other, they get bored, they express a desire to help in the war... and reveal their excitement at the idea of combat. Dark humor and porn are used to deal with what they go through. This is funny at times, but it also hits you quite hard. It is a commentary on, among other things, the human psyche. The choice of form could not be more perfect; this is immensely objective, and the facts speak for themselves. No one is painted as a monster. It would appear that, when someone expressed their emotions and it was captured, it was put in the film. The editing is spot-on. This has an always well-composed, effective and fitting score. They use lingo occasionally, and each time a new term is said, we get an explanation of it. Every word spoken that is not in Danish is either subtitled or translated by an interpreter. I think it takes a bit of empathy and maturity to understand this. There is a lot of violence and disturbing content, as well as a little strong language, nudity and sexuality in this. I recommend this to everyone old enough for it. 10/10

In 2009, filmmaker Janus Metz Pedersen accompanies a group of Danish soldiers to allied forward operating base Armadillo in Helmand province, Afganistan. The film follows them first in Denmark and then their six months tour. They are quickly into combat situations and things are lost in translation. The villagers are caught in the middle.

There isn't anything particularly new. The action does get quite dangerous as the filmmakers go out into the patrols. It's an extended news report without the commentary. The great thing here is the film allows the people and action to speak for themselves. There are memorable scenes where the language difference get into the way. There is also some controversies back home about their combat mission. We shouldn't be surprised by any of this but it's always a bit shocking.

Janus Metz's documentary "Armadillo" focuses on a Danish platoon sent to Afghanistan. It drew controversy due to what was seen as the soldiers' violating the rules of engagement. But the main point is that this is what it's like to be in a war zone. The troops spend most of their time having either nothing to do (so they pass the time by watching internet porn) or having to shoot at attackers.

What struck me was the opening sequence. It interviews one of the troops as well as his family. It must have been weird for him to grow up in peaceful Denmark and suddenly get sent to war-torn Afghanistan. Most importantly, the Afghans see pretty much any westerner as a colonizer.

The movie doesn't moralize. It just lets us see what things are like for this platoon. The fact remains that war is hell. I'm sure that not even this documentary can show us the true horrors of the war zone that Afghanistan remains. But even so, I recommend it.