Madness in War

Posted on February 8, 2005 in Film

We had the pleasure of watching an extraordinary foreign film that I picked almost at random from the racks at Blockbuster. (Yes, sometimes the chains do allow a good film to sneak past their censors.) This one, House of Fools, compares favorably to another favorite of mine, The King of Hearts Set in an asylum during an episode of Chechen War, it reflects on the similarities between the insane and those engaged in combat. It’s an outstanding film that I dare not describe beyond that. While watching it, I had memories of my experiences in former Yugoslavia in 1992. I’d seen the eyes of the cast before.

Yes, war is war. Regardless of the situation, the men and women fighting it will be barely discernable from those who walk the halls of our mental wards. Which is a lesson about the human condition under pressure. That’s what the bombs and bullets do to those who hear their bursts.

The underlying message is that both the mentally ill and the soldier remain human beings.

Rent it or buy it.