As someone who has only heard the horror stories of the Iraq War and tried to understand its violence through words, ‘The Yellow Birds’ provided me with a clear visualization of the barren desert landscapes and the brutality of the unforeseen attacks.
This film reveals the sheer terrors of this war, both while fighting for survival on the battleground and trying to return to everyday life afterwards.
Based on the novel by Kevin Powers and directed by Alexandre Moors, The Yellow Birds follows the friendship of John Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) and Daniel Murphy (Tye Sheridan), and the pact they make to protect each other upon deployment to Iraq. When only Bartle returns home from the War, he is tormented by PTSD and the promise he made to Murphy’s mother (Jennifer Anniston) to tell her the truth of what happened to them over there. Though the violent scenes reveal the abruptness of the attacks in Iraq, this film succeeds most in showing how torturous and difficult it was for Bartle to return back home after the War. Ehrenreich’s performance is powerful, showing viewers the truly excruciating pain that this war caused his character, and the torture he feels from keeping Murphy’s story a secret.
In addition to Ehrenreich, both Sheridan and Anniston give genuine, moving performances throughout the film. Watching Sheridan’s quiet strength get defeated each day in the desert, one could easily see how soldiers were beaten down from this war. Anniston, on the other hand, plays her role as the devastated mother, tortured by what happened to her son perfectly. But the performances in The Yellow Birds are much stronger than the actual storyline, as it moves slowly and cannot keep up with the work of the actors.
Regardless of the story’s outcome, this film reveals the bonds of brotherhood forged in war. Through training camp and deployment, the authenticity of the friendship between the two soldiers is played out perfectly by Ehrenreich and Sheridan. Bartle and Murphy build a deep friendship that keeps each of them going throughout the draining and dangerous days in Iraq, which is ultimately what brings meaning to their deployment.
Yellow Birds is now available On Demand.
