Body of War - The True Story Of An Anti-War Hero

Documentary, War

Tomas Young

Himself

Director	Donahue, Phil; Spiro, Ellen
Producer	Donahue, Phil
Musician	Vedder, Eddie

Paralyzed from the chest down after serving in Iraq for just one week, 25-year-old Tomas Young is forced to deal with the realities of war each and every day. For Tomas, learning to cope with his disability means finding his voice to speak out against the war in Iraq.

Directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro and set to the haunting vocals of Eddie Vedder, the multi award-winning Body of War splits its time between Tomas's ardous daily reality in Kansas City, MO, and the harrowing legislative processes that led up to the invasion of Iraq in 2002. Senatorial speeches and a running tally of pro-war votes are interspliced with intimate footage of Tomas as he navigates through the acute physical and emotional impacts of his injury. A testament to the power of parallel images, the film adeptly juxtaposes the sanitized vantage point of Washington with raw personal experience. In the end, this contrast forces viewers to question the motives, methods and ever-rising cost of the conflict in Iraq.

A deeply moving and bracingly honest film, Body of War narrates a story that must be heard - a story of courage, conviction and resistance.