The Invisible War
The Invisible War
NR | 20 January 2012 (USA)
The Invisible War Trailers

An investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.

Reviews
Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
utbryce Here is a film that causes you to think. Like any solid documentary, this movie is very informative and somewhat depressing, since problems about rape in the military are being brought to light. But do not let that keep you from being able to appreciate inspiring stories told by brave women. Women who risk their very lives in hopes to bring about some sort of change, so that future women who enlist in the military can be protect. Just try not to watch it on a dreary day. The style of this documentary consisted mostly of interviews and followed the life of one veteran woman particularly. Near the end, it showed the government's involvement over the years, explaining how they've tried to step in and get money and awareness for this issue. It comes off as a dramatic film, making you feel sorry for each of the women and all they had to go through. For most people, it is relatable to their current situation in life.I think anyone who have ever been a victim of something can relate to this heart-breaking film. The humanity of rapists are unreal. They go about these things with nothing to lose, and completely decimate the lives of these women. In the film, they bring up the fact that most of the rapists' lives are good and they've had little to no repercussions. One of the young families being followed in the film, was affected by rape tremendously. They experience reoccurring pain from the abuse of the rape offender and the neglect of the government to help. Because of her injuries, she no longer can go outside and play with her daughter. Instead she stands inside, watching while eating jello as a part of her only soft food diet. She gets put on hold for almost and hour just to find out if she is eligible for treatment that she desperately needs, adding to the mountain of pills she has to take every day. Activists looking to protest something would be all over this film, since this is a reoccurring problem that is not being changed. These tragedies were displayed very well and made for a good movie.I believe this film did a wonderful job in presenting information in a way that moves you to want the government to do a better job in handling rape cases. One thing I noticed though, was that while they videoed one of the cases in great detail, it made the pace of the movie much slower. The other women's stories' are good, but not looked into as much as they could have been. As for the progression of the film, The barrage of advertisements for women in the military at the start of the film were very entertaining. Having come into this film not knowing what it would be about, I felt completely hooked after the intro. The information came from diverse locations and had many interviews clips from officers of different ranks and jobs. I felt like i could really trust the information and the filmmaker's raw footage feel really contributed to that. Several riveting facts about the number of rapes of women in the military were exposed. There were even some cases of male rapes that were hard to listen to. But in the midst of all this turmoil, a well made documentary was produced in order to combat this seemingly endless cycle of tragedy. For far too long have officers been telling women to "suck it up" after brutal accounts of rape. And this film might very well be the spark that restores honor in the military.
dalydj-918-255175 "We are always told the armed forces will be our protection but this film shows that these people who protect us need as much probably even more protection then us from these evil people who never get punished"The Air Force, Army and Navy are created in order to defend and protect a nation but the men who run these organisations are very corrupt especially when it comes to reports from women and sometimes men who say they were rapped. The film focus's in on specific women/men who have reported rape but there are many more reported as the film does say to inform the viewer that there are some horrible men out there who never take responsibility for their actions.There are always two sides to every story I always say and this film presents us with the victim side of the story which most of the time is never believed and in some of these cases the accusation should almost be believed but is not. The film does present the side of the victim only because that is the aim of the film, they want us to feel sympathy towards these victims making the sexual assaulter's almost pure evil which in some of these cases they should be called. The film does speak to some high ranking people who see the justice system of the armed forces as being not as good as it could be especially when dealing with some of these cases. I always feel sympathy towards women who have been raped and it was hard to watch because I believed nearly every accusation because women would never want to lie about getting assaulted.The main victims in the film are the ones that I believed the most because they seemed very shaken by the act. Kori Cioca seemed to start and end the story of the film as we saw her struggle with her injury but also have problems at home with her husband it seemed. Also i felt sorry for her because of how her story seemed too detail to be untrue which made me really want that person responsible for her assault to get charged somehow. All the stories were hard to hear and the film was smart to not just focus on women's problems but also in small scenes with men who were assaulted.The film was great in showing us the inner war of these organisations and how more needs to be done when fixing the many problems that there are.MOVIE GRADE: B
Niki Tsongas As one of the founders of the U.S. House of Representatives Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, I have written legislation that is now the law to help combat and prevent sexual assault in our armed forces and to help victims seek justice. "The Invisible War" is a moving and uncomfortable documentary about an unspeakable crime, and a culture that unacceptably turns a blind eye. It has been instrumental in focusing a national spotlight on a shocking issue that affects one in three returning female veterans. I am grateful to the makers of the film who went to extreme lengths to interview not only dozens of survivors, but also those who are working to break the pattern. This is an important film dedicated to ensuring that the stories of the courageous men and women it features, and the countless others who share their reality, receive the attention they deserve so that we can bring an end to the heartbreaking violence and injustice depicted in this film.
angiedrake The Invisible War is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. The directors present a difficult topic in a manner that is engaging but not overwhelming. The stories of several women and men are shared. We learn about each as the film progresses and just as a story seems to be overwhelming, we are given a chance to breathe, to relax, to learn a little more about the system itself, before diving into the devastating life stories again, not unlike a roller coaster ride.Although this film presents the failures of the current DoD policy of Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault, it is not a military-bashing production. In fact, the directors have done an excellent job showing pride in military service. One of the heart breaking conclusions I came to as a viewer is that the final blow for many of these women and men was that they were forced to abandon their military careers simply for reporting rape.I have seen this film twice. The first time was a special screening before its major release in theaters. As a military wife, I immediately realized its importance to the military community and when the film arrived in Washington DC, I took three military officers with me to see it opening night. One of these officers was my husband, an active duty Colonel, the second was a male active duty Lieutenant Colonel, the third was a female Major in the Reserves. All three agreed that the film changed their perceptions of the current Zero Tolerance program conducted by DoD and that the film should be seen by more service members.If you are in the military or know someone who is in the military, I cannot recommend this film highly enough. You will leave the theater understanding that the primary problem with Zero Tolerance isn't that women place themselves in dangerous situations but that sexual predators are attracted to the military environment and plan their attacks with precision. You will also understand that there is a direct connection between poor commanders and incidents of rape in that command. Too many of our officers are willing to turn a blind eye, often in the name of being fair.The film concludes that It is only through higher rates of prosecution and a better awareness that victims are currently blamed more than they are believed that we can begin to tackle this difficult issue. This is a film that will leave you wanting to do more.