The Invisible War
2012
Action / Crime / Documentary

The Invisible War
2012
Action / Crime / Documentary
rape post traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) sexism rape victim
Plot summary
An investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Do You Support Your Troops? Really? Really???
simply a great documentary
There are a number of things Invisible War does well.
1. It conveys a point of view.
2. It's about a compelling subject.
3. It has sympathetic characters.
4. It has a narrative arc, which is challenging. It relies on the lawsuit and Cioca's disability claim.
5. The cinematography, audio and film making don't draw attention to themselves and distract from the subject.
I was quoted in a book about sexual assault in the military. In that book the author made the assumption there was some golden age before sexual assault was a problem in the military, a claim she offered no proof of.
I mention this because it's possible to tell the story of rape and sexual assault in the military and get it wrong.
This film uses a pretty hard-and-straight approach. It sticks to cases that are pretty well documented to illustrate the statistical picture create by the military's own data.
And the film has a couple villains to root against. The Air Force major general and her civilian predecessor come off as part clueless and part immoral.