Review : Poster Girl : Santa Barbara Edhat
edhat.com | Mar 12th 2011 8:30 AM
By Youth CineMedia
The compelling Academy Award nominated documentary, Poster Girl, screened to a full house at the Lobero Theatre earlier this month.
The short documentary didn't disappoint. The story line follows the life of Robynn Murray, a former high school cheerleader and national merit scholar. At only 19 years old, she entered the Iraq war and eventually became a gunner on a Humvee. This "Poster Girl" graced the cover of Army Magazine, as one of the new faces of women in combat.
The emotional story details how she came from a family with a long history of military service. Now a veteran, Murray returned home to find herself struggling through effects of war and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her journey is as inspiring as it is insightful. The 39-minute film is full of honesty and redemption. The story details the transformation of a soldier to an anti-war activist, writer and budding artist.
Murray attended the screening, and Youth CineMedia spoke with her afterwards, "I wish I never had my hands on any trigger or gun that would claim the life of another human being," Murray said.
Youth CineMedia students attended the screening. Some are old enough to sign up for the Army.
"When I was still in high school recruiters would come to my pad and meet my parents and gave me coffee cups. Now I think I won't go because it's not worth killing innocent people or coming back with a disability or your head messed up," said 19-year-old Fernando Hernandez.
An 18-year-old Youth CineMedia student felt the film was informative, but feels the truth about war and the Army is covered up.
"Basically, it seems like they slack off on helping veterans out after war. One of the things that stood out about the movie was when she didn't want to fire on innocent people. I thought that was thoughtful towards them and their families," said Daniel Cano.
Younger Youth CineMedia students found the film "inspiring and shocking at the same time".
"It was surprising at how much medication she was being prescribed just to get by. She was brave to get help and then to speak out for those with PTSD," said 16-year-old Sergio Medrano.
"It was inspiring and made me think about what war is really like. It was an inside view how messed up it is. It was cool when she said she felt sorry for pointing the gun at family members and what she did to the people in Iraq. If she could go back she would say sorry. It's good that she is trying to educate people about the effects of war," said 17-year-old Victor Mayo.
This documentary comes as we approach the 8th anniversary of the Iraq war. It's an appropriate time to remember that we have waged war against Iraq for 20 years, spanning four administrations. Starting in 1991 with Desert Storm, then followed by 10 years of deadly economic sanctions; escalating with the March 19th, 2003 invasion known as Operation Iraq Freedom.
As the war in Iraq has shifted to what some are calling a permanent occupation, many of our troops have been sent to Afghanistan, and it seems fewer have been fortunate enough to come home. The young people making their way back have witnessed the death of fellow servicemen and women lost in this war (nearly 4,500), as well as carrying the burden of the estimated 1 million Iraqi civilians killed by the United States military, allies or insurgent forces.
The results have been devastating for Iraqis as well as for our troops, as far as integrating back into communities across the country. Many, like Murray, have returned from war with PSTD. The effects include anxiety, addiction, alcoholism, violence and suicide.
According to statistics, 18 veterans commit suicide every day, and yet there continue to be stories of hope and inspiration.
Youth CineMedia found Murray's story to be just that...Inspirational!
Keep an eye out for Youth CineMedia's full interview with Robynn Murray, and Poster Girl Director, Sara Nesson at youthcinemedia.org, and here on EdHat.
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About Youth CineMedia: Youth CineMedia is a Santa Barbara based, nationally recognized non-profit teaching at-risk youth documentary production, journalism, graphic design and photography. The students' work is featured annually in The Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Each week Youth CineMedia students will give readers an insight into their world. It may be sharing a compelling photo, weighing in on current events or sharing a new Youth CineMedia film with the Edhat community. We hope you enjoy the weekly contributions from Youth CineMedia. You can learn more about Youth CineMedia at www.youthcinemedia.org.
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