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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:16
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.6/10
Theatrical Release:Feb 9, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: An exploration of the firsthand accounts of American troops through their own words, the film is built upon the 'Operation Homecoming' initiative created by the National Endowment for the Arts to... [More]
Director: Richard E. Robbins
The anthology format would fit better on TV, as would director Richard E. Robbins' unfortunate use of cheesy slo-mo re-enactments. When Robbins flickers through a series of photos of the fallen, the rapid cutting becomes absurd and dehumanizing.
Top CriticOperation Homecoming never quite captures anything so poignant or precise, rather falling into seemingly endless variations of 'war is hell.'
The cumulative effect of Operation Homecoming is to bring to light the soldiers' collective experiences and the enduring nightmares they suffer in our place.
Operation Homecoming at first seems like a modest enterprise, a document of a few guys' paths to personal catharsis. But the sense of damaged intensity found in all these men's writing builds to a powerful crescendo.
Top CriticUnique and emotionally moving documentary.
These stories of heartache, confusion, and anger combine to form a gallery of art that illuminates the conundrums of warfare and testifies to the philosophical instincts of the American soldier.
Top CriticRobbins' docu, initiated by the NEA, tries to convey the subjective feeling and thoughts of soldiers through their writing, be they letters, poems, or stories. By necessity, this collection, which is read by pro actors, is varied in interest and quality.
When is a documentary NOT a documentary? When it's this. Definately worth a look.
Flaws aside, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience has much value, both as an artistic and historical document.
Robbins war documentary is for the spectator to come to terms with what's occurring on the battle field and it gives a wonderful impartial view of the current war...
It provides an illuminating portrait of the mind-set of those men and women serving overseas.
A sobering reminder that war is more than smartly-dressed politicians exchanging barbs about what's best for America.
A different approach from more straightforward Iraq War documentaries. And the film definitely has effective moments, especially those dealing with grief and the rough transition from military to civilian life.
They're stories of war that resonate with anyone who has ever been in a war zone, and they illustrate beautifully for those who have not seen battle, just what combat can do to a person's soul.
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience is an eloquent manifestation of the notion articulated in John Fowles's The Magus that "It is not countries that go to war, but men."
The prose and poetry of the soldiers is striking in its power.
The sometimes uneven quality of the imagery serves to highlight the shattering honesty of these barings of the soul.
Operation Homecoming is a spinoff from an anthology of essays, e-mail messages, poems and letters from soldiers in Iraq.
Top Critic
November 20, 2007:
Fifteen Documentaries Vie for Oscar Consideration
A little over a week after reporting the names of the dozen films being submitted for Oscar consideration in the animated feature film category, Variety has given readers the... More...
April 28, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review 
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