Hearts and Minds (1974)

I'll admit that I don't know much about the Vietnam War. History, in general, has a tendency to bore me. I always go in with the best intentions, ready and eager to learn, but after a little while, I'm just bored by names and places and times and facts. Hey, I wish it was different, but that's the way things are. So, that said, I didn't know much about the Vietnam War going into Hearts and Minds. That may or may not color my viewpoint, but I think it's one of the best documentaries that I've ever seen.

It does a great job of examining many aspects of the war, of our nature, of the Vietnamese way of life, all without shying away. It shows the effects of war like nothing else before, without resorting to many shock tactics found elsewhere. And yet, it has a heavy emotional resonance that just may have swayed even the most devoted war-mongerers.

Hearts and Minds shows quite a bit of the 'why' of the war through interviews and film historical footage. The blanks are filled in through subtext, such as seemingly unrelated footage from a High School football game. Beforehand, the coach gives the players a rousing speech, and encourages them to go out there and kill em'. That's when you realize that this is more than a documentary on a war and its effects. This is about our nature, as Americans and as humans overall.

It's an emotional experience. It will make you sad, frustrated, angry and disgusted. It will make you want to leap to your feet and make a difference. Many will think that the message is lost today, since the Vietnam War is more than 30 years in the past. But, look at recent events in America, look at wars being fought, unprovoked. Look at the killer instinct still inherent in the people in power today. Hearts and Minds is just as powerful today.