Thank You For Your Service

A gritty tale about war veterans trying to adjust to life as civilians

Story: Inspired by a true story, the film follows a group of US war veterans after they return from their long stint in Iraq and the struggles they face as they try to adjust to life back home while dealing with painful memories that refuse to go away.

Review: There have been a number of films that focus on war veterans and the trying times they face once they return home from the war, and Thank You For Your Service doesn’t quite go off the beaten track. The film begins with Staff Sergeant Adam Schumann (Miles Teller) going back home after 15 months to his wife Saskia (Haley Bennett) and their two young children. His absence from home has resulted in the kids viewing their father more like a stranger since he has missed a chunk of their childhood while fighting battles in war-torn Iraq. Although happy to be back with his family amidst familiar surroundings, Adam struggles to get back to normalcy thanks to the fact that he is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that causes terrifying flashbacks and difficulty adjusting to domestic life. As Saskia goes through her own torment of watching her husband deteriorate in front of her eyes, she convinces him to get help at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is already overwhelmed with physically and mentally stunted soldiers. Adam finds comfort in two fellow soldiers — Solo Aeiti (Beulah Koale) and Billy Waller (Joe Cole) who are battling their own demons after returning home from the horrors of war.

With a fairly talented cast, Thank You For Your Service deftly showcases the emotional trauma that soldiers go through during combat, and more importantly, after it. From the performances, Teller and Koale stand out, as the remorseful soldiers who are struggling to come to terms with traumatic events. The rest of the supporting cast ably showcase the lives of war veterans and their families without going over the top.

The range of emotions — from anger and guilt to fear and redemption — is subtly captured by director Jason Hall. You do feel sorry for the characters as they try to manoeuvre through a web of emotions. Unfortunately, although the film engages you in the beginning, the pace tends to slow down towards the end. While war films aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, thanks to their (usually) dramatic storyline, this one’s worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something serious.