Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2013)

“Can I get you to agree to not use the gun while we’re talking?” – Maureen (Responder)

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Mar 2015)

Brief Synopsis – A documentary that shows the difficult but honorable work of the men and women at the Veteran’s Crisis Hotline taht daily strive to save lives

My Take on it – This is a movie that I doubt I would have been exposed to had it not been nominated for and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film.

The movie is very powerful and really doesn’t even come close to showing the whole problem of suicide and other problems among US veterans, but it’s definitely a start in the right direction to get the necessary exposure for awareness and a solution for this rapidly expanding problem.

It didn’t hurt that this movie can be seen as a companion piece to American Sniper (2014) because it deals with similar issues of how veterans need to be reintegrated into society and get their lives back on track after experiencing the horrors of war.

The choice to only give us the side of the conversations of the responders makes the impact of those conversations so much more powerful for the viewer.

Bottom Line -Very powerful documentary that only scratches the surface of the problem and it’s awareness and solution. Great companion piece to American Sniper (2014) and fitting that they both were nominated for Oscars. Highly recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Over a period of nine months, Goosenberg Kent and the film’s producer, Dana Perry, along with their film crew, filmed at the National Veterans Crisis Line, the only suicide hotline dedicated exclusively to U.S. veterans. They spent long days filming responders as they fielded calls from veterans in crisis and on the verge of suicide. Rather than feature interviews with veterans and their families, the filmmakers presented the subject matter in cinema verite style through “overheard” conversations — where viewers can only hear the responder’s side. (From Indiewire)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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