Wartorn 1861-2010
HBO, 2010
THE TELEVISION ACADEMY® HONORS - WINNER
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JOURNALISM AWARD - WINNER
2011 PRISM AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY-MENTAL HEALTH - WINNER
SYNOPSIS
Civil War doctors called it hysteria, melancholia and insanity. During the First World War, it was known as shell-shock. Combat fatigue was the diagnosis during World War II. Today, post traumatic stress is understood as a crippling psychic injury that can come from exposure to the horrors of war.
With suicide rates among active military servicemen and veterans on the rise, WARTORN 1861-2010 brings urgent attention to the invisible wounds of war. Drawing on the personal stories of American soldiers whose lives and psyches were torn asunder by their experiences on the battlefield, the documentary chronicles the lingering and life altering effects of post-traumatic stress on military personnel and their families throughout American history, from the Civil War through today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
UNITED STATES PENTAGON - PREMIERE
TRAILER & SELECTED CLIPS
REVIEWS
The Huffington Post
Wartorn is “an unmissable HBO documentary that chronicles post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the history of America’s military. It offers raw testimonies from families and returning soldiers, their lives shattered by the nightmares of battle, that are moving, illuminating and enraging all at once.”
The LA Times
“The filmmakers do not beat a political drum, they do not use an impassioned script or a soundtrack comprising brass and strings. They do not attempt to incite anger or outrage, sorrow or resolve in any way. Instead, they present the facts, simply and gracefully, and the result is devastating.”
Additional Reviews by The Daily Beast, Variety, The Washington Post
AWARDS
THE TELEVISION ACADEMY HONORS - WINNER