The Volunteers

2017

Action / Documentary / War

3
IMDb Rating 8.3/10 10 133 133

medic awakening short film syria isis (daesh) ypg

Plot summary

Two oversouls having a conversation about what the craziest experience they have ever had was, going to Earth.

Director

Top cast

Anthony Bagok Burton Photo
Anthony Bagok Burton as Self
Porter Goodman Photo
Porter Goodman as Self
River O'Mahoney Hagg Photo
River O'Mahoney Hagg as (Self)
Patrick Krasprik Photo
Patrick Krasprik as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
818.94 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
29.97 fps
1 hr 28 min
Seeds ...
1.64 GB
1920*1072
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
29.97 fps
1 hr 28 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by nerrdrage 9 / 10

a documentary like no other

This is an amazing documentary, the story of an LA surfer who risks his life and his personal happiness back home to help the Kurds in Syria battle ISIS by joining a small team of medics from Western countires.There's something unusually raw and immediate about the real-life battle sequences. Probably because the fighters depicted are not regular US military, and don't have the same training and mannerisms.They can be joking around while bullets are wizzing over their heads. Everything is improvised; the usual military structure is absent. If comrades get in trouble, they have to make their own ethical decisions about risking their lives to rescue them. No commander is there to give them orders. It humanizes them more completely and raises the stakes when you realize that any one of them can be dead at any time.We don't get a lot of context, though. Some other Americans appear, as fighters, not medics, but they don't seem to be part of the US military, which does have a presence in the region.Do these people ever coordinate or communicate with the US military? Are the Westerners breaking their countries' laws to be there? If they get in trouble, can they call their embassy for help? (Which becomes a germane question near the end of the story.)Note that since this documentary was made, in 2017, the Kurds have been very successful, and ISIS has been driven into a few remnant pockets. Given recent developments in Syria, a follow up documentary would be valuable.It's taken me this long to watch it simply because it's hard to find, but it's on Kanopy now (free/ad free, you just need a library card.)
Reviewed by unclesamsavage 3 / 10

Succinct in Sixteen

Gruesome footage. Questionable motives from Hagg. Did he really go to tell the stories of Syrians?Screenplay...................................... 3 / 10 Interviews........................................ 2 Visuals................................................ 7 Sound................................................... 3 Editing................................................ 2 Music....................................................... 1 Timeless Utility................................. 6 Total.................................................... 24 / 70 ~= 3.4 (which I rounded to 3) Verdict................................................. Avoid.
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