Retrograde

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2:10

Retrograde

R

Released Nov 11, 2022

1h 36m

Documentary

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

RETROGRADE captures the final nine months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan from multiple perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed there, a young Afghan general and his corps fighting to defend their homeland against all odds, and the civilians desperately attempting to flee as the country collapses and the Taliban take over. From rarely seen operational control rooms to the frontlines of battle to the chaotic Kabul airport during the final U.S. withdrawal, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman's latest film offers a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America's longest war, and the costs endured for those most intimately involved.

Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

Retrograde is an intense, immersive experience that reminds us how ineffective and destructive war can be.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 13, 2022

Full Review

Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

A study of a betrayal and its heartbreaking fallout.

Dec 13, 2022

Full Review

Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

Retrograde is a deeply mournful film, and the focus on humans is why.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 8, 2022

Full Review

Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

Retrograde is an emotional and breathtaking documentary. What is captured is bleak and that is the raw power of groundbreaking cinema.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 15, 2022

Full Review

Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

A portrayal of hubris and mismanagement on behalf of the world's so-called "protectors" and abject futility on behalf of those who rose to their feet to risk everything in pursuit of a promise left unfulfilled.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 9, 2022

Full Review

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Film Festival Today

What’s lacking is needed context to better ground the current tragedy in the bumbling ineptitude of the past 20 years.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 9, 2022

Full Review

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Audience Member

The director is responsible for the death of the mine clearer whose face was shown in the film even after they were warned that doing so would pose a clear danger. Shame.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

Full Review

Aaron S

Created by a group of evil sociopaths who were happy to ignore warnings that not blurring the mine clearer would get him killed Surprise, he's dead. You should all burn for this. You should never be allowed near a camera again.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

Full Review

P D

Disgusting. They are to blame for the death of mine-clearer. Shame on you.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

Full Review

Nathanial F

Pwoerful and heartbreaking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/11/23

Full Review

Brad O

If you want to understand the human side of the last days of the US in Afghanistan, this is a must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/18/23

Full Review

Valerii Ege D

A sad documentary about the consequences of a decision that completely changed the history of the Middle East. On the one hand, America, which does not want to fight anymore; on the other hand, a country that needs America's support deeply. As a result, today, girls cannot go to school. Maybe everything is good for America, but for many people in one region, everything has been much worse.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/11/23

Full Review

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Matthew Heineman

Director

Sami Sadat

Self

Matthew Heineman

Producer

Caitlin McNally

Producer

Baktash Ahadi

Executive Producer

Carolyn Bernstein

Executive Producer

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Retrograde: Trailer 1

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Retrograde: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

RETROGRADE captures the final nine months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan from multiple perspectives: one of the last U.S. Special Forces units deployed there, a young Afghan general and his corps fighting to defend their homeland against all odds, and the civilians desperately attempting to flee as the country collapses and the Taliban take over. From rarely seen operational control rooms to the frontlines of battle to the chaotic Kabul airport during the final U.S. withdrawal, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman's latest film offers a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America's longest war, and the costs endured for those most intimately involved.

Director: Matthew Heineman
Producer: Matthew Heineman, Caitlin McNally
Distributor: National Geographic Documentary Films
Production Co: Our Time Projects, National Geographic Documentary Films
Rating: R
Genre: Documentary, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2022
Runtime: 1h 36m