Today’s ASAD explores fanaticism and how it can have negative consequences for young minds. I give you Militant.

Synopsis

During a training exercise set in the backdrop of World War II, two brothers decide it’s time to use live ammo and their fellow trainees as targets.

Review

The quote by Hitler at the beginning certainly grabs your attention. It also speaks to the core of this short: the youth are easily malleable and can be bent to a political or ideological will with a zealous fervor. Should we dismiss it out-of-hand because the quote came from one of history’s greatest monsters? I think it should be taken as a warning.

There’s a parallel here to the two brothers in this and Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket. It would be hard not to write a review about this short and not mention FMJ, one of Kubrick’s masterpieces. This is what would have happened had Pyle focused his rage and insanity not at his drill instructor or himself but outward.

Does this send an anti-military message? I don’t think so. The message it does seem to send is one of caution and how the minds of youth can be indoctrinated into an ideology of bloodlust that can turn one into an indiscriminate butcher. The last line of the film not only caps it off but sends the message home to the audience: Was it worth it?

From a technical standpoint the only thing I would have changed would be the music levels against the dialogue. In some parts the score tends to overtake anyone speaking. As for story, the only realism detail I had a qualm with was the two antagonists being brothers. The Army generally has a policy of not putting two close relatives into the same unit if they can help it. It’s a small point I’m willing to overlook that for the sake of this being a film and exploring a very interesting subject.

This also shows what can be done with no budget. Literally, this was made with no budget from a self-taught filmmaker who wrote, directed, DP’d, edited, and color corrected everything. The entire shoot was done in only 4 hours. We could all take a lesson from this guy.

What did you think of Militant? Leave a comment below.

Information

Genre: War/Psychological
Country of Origin: United States
Release Year: 2008
Runtime: 6 mins. 9 secs.
Director: F.C. Rabbath
Cast: Jake Brown, Eric Miller, Erik Ekman, Brockett Vola, Shane Brady, Christopher Waldron
YouTube Channel: fcrabbath
Website: fcrabbathcreations.com

Technical

Camera: Canon XL2
Lenses: Stock Canon XL2 Lens
Edited with: Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects