Beyond the Call, Movie Review
Movies entertain us on many levels.
They make us laugh, cry, scream in fear.
Every once in a great while though, they give us a glimpse of greatness and leave a lasting emotional impact.
Beyond the Call is one such film.
The newest documentary from Academy Award nominated Adrian Belic, the film focuses on three middle-aged former male soldiers who travel around the world on humanitarian aid missions.
Lucky for those who may have missed it at the Oxford Film Festival, it is playing again in Memphis this Saturday.
The journey takes us with Ed Artis, James Laws, and Walt Ratterman through Afghanistan in October 2001 to the Philippines and Burma in the following years.
However, the biggest impact on me was how these men, after all the other humanitarian units were fleeing Afghanistan, ran into the bombing areas to bring clothes, food, and medical supplies to the devastated areas.
Artis is refreshingly honest and opens up about his troubled youth and how the Army straightened him out.
He explains that the three men are "not in the God business" and turn away any help that comes with strings of proselytistic ministers.
As we enter Afghanistan with the crew, we see B-52 bombs getting closer to them and the sound reverberating throughout the village.
Families living in dug out holes with no tents or blankets accept the help and kindness of the American strangers even as they watch other Americans destroy their homes.
But part of the genius of the film is the way that Belic as a director has a great sense of showing us the contrast of the homes that the three men live in compared to the homes they enter.
Laws has a 30 acre farm with his own train and cannons he refers to us "toys.
" Artis lives comfortably in Los Angeles while Ratterman lives in a fully solar renewable home out in the country with beautiful landscapes.
No matter how noble their work may be, the three remain humble and do not profit from their positions.
Belic finds a way to reveal their character without too much emphasis upon it.
Artis, upon showing some of the supplies in his living room, discusses how he has not even had a root canal that he sorely needs because it costs too much.
"What is $700? How many tons of rice?" he softly asks.
At another point in the film while delivering off brand medications he points out that, "What we consider to be trash in the U.
S.
is gold in the third world.
" Belic shows us the human spirit persevering over such conditions and the kindness of peoples often stereotyped in the U.
S.
as evil or hating Americans.
This film will make you want to get up off the couch and do something great.
They make us laugh, cry, scream in fear.
Every once in a great while though, they give us a glimpse of greatness and leave a lasting emotional impact.
Beyond the Call is one such film.
The newest documentary from Academy Award nominated Adrian Belic, the film focuses on three middle-aged former male soldiers who travel around the world on humanitarian aid missions.
Lucky for those who may have missed it at the Oxford Film Festival, it is playing again in Memphis this Saturday.
The journey takes us with Ed Artis, James Laws, and Walt Ratterman through Afghanistan in October 2001 to the Philippines and Burma in the following years.
However, the biggest impact on me was how these men, after all the other humanitarian units were fleeing Afghanistan, ran into the bombing areas to bring clothes, food, and medical supplies to the devastated areas.
Artis is refreshingly honest and opens up about his troubled youth and how the Army straightened him out.
He explains that the three men are "not in the God business" and turn away any help that comes with strings of proselytistic ministers.
As we enter Afghanistan with the crew, we see B-52 bombs getting closer to them and the sound reverberating throughout the village.
Families living in dug out holes with no tents or blankets accept the help and kindness of the American strangers even as they watch other Americans destroy their homes.
But part of the genius of the film is the way that Belic as a director has a great sense of showing us the contrast of the homes that the three men live in compared to the homes they enter.
Laws has a 30 acre farm with his own train and cannons he refers to us "toys.
" Artis lives comfortably in Los Angeles while Ratterman lives in a fully solar renewable home out in the country with beautiful landscapes.
No matter how noble their work may be, the three remain humble and do not profit from their positions.
Belic finds a way to reveal their character without too much emphasis upon it.
Artis, upon showing some of the supplies in his living room, discusses how he has not even had a root canal that he sorely needs because it costs too much.
"What is $700? How many tons of rice?" he softly asks.
At another point in the film while delivering off brand medications he points out that, "What we consider to be trash in the U.
S.
is gold in the third world.
" Belic shows us the human spirit persevering over such conditions and the kindness of peoples often stereotyped in the U.
S.
as evil or hating Americans.
This film will make you want to get up off the couch and do something great.
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