Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

This Is Not a War Story

Play trailer 1:13 Poster for This Is Not a War Story 2021 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 12 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Timothy Reyes hustles through the NYC subway system. Oblivious passers-by don't notice he is popping pills, fading, killing himself. Discovered dead on an empty train, no one knows him to be a combat veteran. His mentor, Will LaRue blames himself and wrestles with the guilt, and a resurgence of his own demons from war. His refuge: a multi-generational community of artist veterans, who make handmade paper out of military uniforms. Shredding them, pulverizing them -- uniforms are reconstituted into paper, onto which the veterans express their rage, humor, memories, and hopes, in the form of art and poetry. Into this community arrives Isabelle -- a veteran recently returned home, only to find home more alienating and hostile than being at war. Her brother and estranged mother can't fathom or accept her identity as a Marine. Will and Isabelle forge a tenuous alliance in this community of mostly white male veterans, and Isabelle's increasing fixation on Will as some kind of savior or teacher digs directly against his private struggle to accept Timothy's suicide and intensifies his self-blame for failing to save him. The confrontations and the bond between Will and Isabelle propel them into a deeper questioning of themselves, and into what it means, finally, to want to live.

Where to Watch

This Is Not a War Story

This Is Not a War Story

What to Know

Critics Consensus

This Is Not a War Story takes a sobering yet uplifting look at life after combat -- and life-altering friendship in unexpected places.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Peter Sobczynski RogerEbert.com An ambitious and thoughtful attempt to deal with veterans coming to terms with what they have seen and done. Rated: 3/4 Nov 12, 2021 Full Review Beatrice Loayza New York Times A naturalistic, chat-heavy narrative that captures the difficulties wrought by the unimaginable trauma individuals face as they attempt to forge connections and find peace after war. Nov 4, 2021 Full Review Lauren Humphries-Brooks Citizen Dame Though This is Not a War Story deals with trauma, there is also an underlying hope to it-that the characters it depicts might be OK, that they can learn to connect to each other, that they cannot banish their trauma, but might be able to live with it. Nov 22, 2021 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...a sobering piece that rewards a careful viewing; the heroism portrayed here is finding a way to get through the day... Rated: 4/5 Nov 10, 2021 Full Review Bill Arceneaux Moviegoing with Bill With graceful tact, technical prowess, and a proudly assertive voice, "This Is Not a War Story" mashes real people and real worlds with loud cinematic bravado. Rated: 5/5 Nov 1, 2021 Full Review Dan Jardine Cinemania Writer/director/star Talia Lugacy has crafted a thoroughly compelling examination of the challenges faced by veterans returning to civilian life. Aug 3, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1) audience reviews
Algo B Sam did an excellent job.He is a great actor & I am so excited to see him play alongside Rosario Dawson. Well deserved. He is going to be on the big screen a long time. Can't wait to see him become the next Idris Elba of Nigeria! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
This Is Not a War Story

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Cinema Sabaya 86% 99% Cinema Sabaya Watchlist TRAILER for Cinema Sabaya Homunculus % 27% Homunculus Watchlist The Drummer 80% % The Drummer Watchlist TRAILER for The Drummer The Stopover 100% 56% The Stopover Watchlist Sgt. Will Gardner 22% 88% Sgt. Will Gardner Watchlist TRAILER for Sgt. Will Gardner Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Timothy Reyes hustles through the NYC subway system. Oblivious passers-by don't notice he is popping pills, fading, killing himself. Discovered dead on an empty train, no one knows him to be a combat veteran. His mentor, Will LaRue blames himself and wrestles with the guilt, and a resurgence of his own demons from war. His refuge: a multi-generational community of artist veterans, who make handmade paper out of military uniforms. Shredding them, pulverizing them -- uniforms are reconstituted into paper, onto which the veterans express their rage, humor, memories, and hopes, in the form of art and poetry. Into this community arrives Isabelle -- a veteran recently returned home, only to find home more alienating and hostile than being at war. Her brother and estranged mother can't fathom or accept her identity as a Marine. Will and Isabelle forge a tenuous alliance in this community of mostly white male veterans, and Isabelle's increasing fixation on Will as some kind of savior or teacher digs directly against his private struggle to accept Timothy's suicide and intensifies his self-blame for failing to save him. The confrontations and the bond between Will and Isabelle propel them into a deeper questioning of themselves, and into what it means, finally, to want to live.
Director
Talia Lugacy
Producer
Noah Lang, Talia Lugacy, Julian West
Screenwriter
Talia Lugacy
Production Co
The Acoustic Film Company, Witchcraft Motion Picture Company
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Most Popular at Home Now