Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Victor Harris The Invisible War is a documentary directed by Kirby Dick. This film reveals to its audience the immorality of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the U.S. military. The film compiles the stories of several men and women who were victims of sexual assault. This is by far the greatest film directed by Dick. Dick has produced other works with a similar idea. The Hunting Ground is quite similar to the invisible war, but it deals with sexual harassment with college students.Throughout his film he interviews the victims of sexual assault and how their dreams of serving their country turned into a nightmare. These individuals were proud to join the military and even put aside other opportunities to join. Unfortunately, their perspective of the military changed dramatically after being attacked by people who they had believed were the heroes of our great nation. In addition to their loss of purity, when they began to seek justice they were threatened and casted away as liars. Despite the astronomical number of sexual assault cases that continued to grow, the power to judge was given to their commanding officers who believed that their reputation was more important than the well-being of the men they commanded. After many years of unfair treatment, this power was taken away. However, the victims were still subject to difficult times. One of the victims in the film was seeking assistance for the Veteran's Hospital, but they continued to deny her for lack of evidence. The film itself was to inform people that the military is not flawless and needs some work. Each interview was from a different branch of military. This film did an excellent job displaying to the audience that enlisted men and women could be potential victims of sexual assault/ harassment. It illustrated a great deal of pathos expressed through the emotional distress of the victims. This film would probably be more suited for sympathetic viewers. The film also incorporates the everyday lives of the victims into the story, where it shows how the terror did not end when they left. Many experienced PTSD and were sometimes afraid to go out into the public and be exposed to men. This is a key element to the film that greatly added to the seriousness of the situation. It shows how sexual assault is not something that you can get over easily.The film provided some statistics about how many cases were heard and not heard. 20% of women were sexually assaulted in the military which equates to 500, 000. This is an excellent element to add to this film and should not be taken out. However, the other statistics within the documentary about the cases was a little confusing. Dick did add an interesting part to the film where all of the victims came together to make people aware of what happened to them publicly. This was an effort to help make some changes to the military and protect future soldiers.Overall, the film is informative to those who wish to join the military and an inspiration to promote change in the military as well as in society. I would recommend this film to everyone, however, this is one of those films that I would not watch a second time due to the sensitive information it covers. Many people would stray away from a film like this but it is indeed excellent.

estebangonzalez10 ¨There is a right way, a wrong way, and the Army way.¨Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated and Twist of Faith) directs yet another powerful and instrumental documentary that we hope will serve to change the policies towards the way the military is dealing with its sexual harassment and rape cases. This is something that requires immediate change and Dick does a terrific job of channeling that emotional anger through his interviews. He interviews several male and female ex military members who share their testimony of how they were sexually harassed and in many cases raped during their service. There are some very emotional and horrifying testimonies of what these people had to go through. They didn't get the battle scars from fighting abroad and protecting their country, they got them from within, from one of their own, and from the very people they considered their brothers and sisters. What is even worse wasn't that these people were simply raped, but that they were completely ignored by the officials who were in charge of overseeing their cases. The repercussions over rape reports are even worse than the act itself. The testimonies aren't just emotional; they are completely infuriating because these people still have to undergo through the pain and injuries suffered during that time without receiving any help from the people in charge. It's like they want to sweep everything under the rug, ignore their complaints, and protect the sexual predators that will (and probably have already) strike again. The testimonies aren't all recent, we have some that took place several decades ago which proves that no one is really dealing with the situation or taking them seriously. This documentary left me sad, angry, and horrified at the way these people are being treated. This is one of those documentaries that you hope produce immediate change and hopefully the government will begin taking action. The documentary begins with footage of some cheesy military propaganda searching for new recruits. We then begin to hear several testimonies from ex military members ranging from the Army, to the Navy, to the Coast Guard, to the Marine Corps. They each share how excited they were to enter the military and serve their country, but what began with such high idealism ended up being a nightmare. Their hard work and high hopes were crashed when they were sexually assaulted and raped by other officers and in some cases officials. These people found it difficult to file a report because the people in charge of prosecuting them were usually friends of the assailant. No action was taken to defend the victims, on the other hand they were encouraged to cover it up and forget anything ever happened. They tried to blame them instead of finding fault in the predator. One of the most powerful testimonies comes from Kori and her husband Rob McDonald whose life we follow over a course of several months. Kori shares her testimony of how she was abused and raped. She was also hit in the face so hard that her jaw was broken. She is denied any military assistance and her sex offender continues to work in the military as if nothing ever happened. Kirby then shares some astonishing statistics by claiming that over 20% of female veterans were sexually assaulted while serving. This represents about half a million female veterans. How is this possible? The answer is pretty simple considering these sex offenders get away with their crime easily working in enclosed and controlled areas. The number of veterans who suffer PTSD due to sexual abuse is even higher than those who suffer that disorder from being in combat. All this information was really eye-opening and astonishing.This documentary will leave you infuriated at the way these veterans are being treated simply because they have decided to share their experience and are trying to make their voice heard so some change comes in the way the military handles these cases and prosecutions. There are several emotional testimonies and in most cases these people have not found justice as no assistance has been given to them. There seems to be this wall of silence which only protects the guilty. We see several claims of military officials over the years claiming that they will take action and have zero tolerance, but nothing changes and the sexual harassment cases continue to pile up and investigations close. There is just too much compliance and covering up going on. The victims can't be punished anymore. There seems to be some abuse of power going on from the very people who are supposed to serve and protect. For those interested in more information about this documentary you can visit their website Notinvisible.com. I hope this documentary serves to open our eyes and force a change in the way prosecutions are being handled. This is a documentary we all need to see and share with others, especially if you or a loved one is thinking of joining the military. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

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.

rightwingisevil so you love your country, you love the military, you are patriotic, and you come from the military family tree, you love the uniform, you love the g.i. bill. when you are under fire, you rely on your soldier comrades to help you fighting back and remain alive. but when you are raped, all these kind of illusion are gone, your whole life is shattered, you suffer untreatable damages not just your body but your soul, your faith, your patriotism. all those you believed before suddenly become lies. the united states military forces suddenly become a huge monster that you would never know how to deal with. these accusations only fall on deaf ears. suddenly you become a slot, an adulterer, a shameless bitch, damaging the military reputation. the raped ones not only become the victims when they were raped by either their comrades or their superior ranking officers. so they are threatened to become a second-time victims. where is the justice, where are the constitution rights and human rights for those who were being raped and continuously being raped? the American government always like to meddle with other countries' human rights but they can't even justify what their own citizens' basic human rights. the American government is the biggest lying and phony entity in the world and probably in the whole universe.