This Is Not a War Story

2021

Drama

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13 Reviews

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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.

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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.

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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

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Talia Lugacy

Director

Sam Adegoke

Will LaRue

Frances Fisher

Dora Casale

Danny Ramirez

Timothy Reyes

Holly Horner

Woman on Train

P.J. Boudousqué

Dino Casale

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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: Rosario Dawson
Screenwriter: Talia Lugacy
Production Co: The Acoustic Film Company, Witchcraft Motion Picture Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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