Baghdad E.R.

This new HBO documentary was without question the most grueling (and perhaps compelling) hour I've ever spent in front of a television.

I wanted to change the channel numerous times. I never did.

What makes this movie so special it its sheer dedication to the "cinema verite" style, the type of approach that Al Maysles famously called "direct cinema."

Its stance is neither pro-war nor anti-war (in fact, you can even find a favorable review at the DOD website).

Its doctors and soldiers, many of whom make no secret their disdain for the war, are painted only as professionals who intend to do a job.

Cinema verite

Defenselink.mil

If this film can't make you care about this stupid war, nothing will.

This soldier bled to death following massive wounds sustained via, what else, a roadside bomb.