What it’s about
When pro-football-player-turned-U.S.-solider Pat Tillman was killed in combat in Afghanistan in April 2004, the U.S. government touted his death as the ultimate patriotic sacrifice. Yet, the official story was a lie. Tillman was actually killed by friendly fire, and high-ranking military staff and government officials were fully aware of this, even as they used the dead solider for propaganda purposes. This penetrating documentary follows the Tillman family’s dogged efforts to expose the cover-up and set the record straight on their son’s tragic death.
Why we love it
Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, proves a grimly determined protagonist in this sad and often shocking documentary. Her fortitude spurs her family on into a direct confrontation with the shadowy machinations of the U.S. government and military. Director Bar-Lev tracks the ups and downs of their fight through intensely personal interviews, media archival footage, and riveting scenes of congressional testimony. Seamlessly woven together and subtly underscored by Josh Brolin’s sober narration, this nonfiction stunner will confirm all your worst fears about what governments can justify in wartime. This is one story well worth hearing.