Guest Author - Lorna London Sloukji

Opening March 13, Brothers at War takes a closer look at an American family during troubled times. Director Jake Rademacher is on a mission to show the experiences of two brothers serving in Iraq. Through Jake's perspective, the film unfolds the travels of the brothers, as Jake sacrifices his own life to tell this incredible tale. I caught up with Jake Rademacher and producer Norman S. Powell to learn more about the filmmaking process and its emotional impact.

What does Brothers at War mean for you?

Jake Rademacher: Brothers at War has been the most terrifying, soul searching, and gratifying thing I have ever done. Through it all, I have tried to hold the mirror up to nature, or rather put the frame around it as it happened in front of me.

I started this film for my brother Isaac, and for his daughter so that if he fell in battle, I would have some way to tell her who her father was. I finished it for the guys I met along the way. Now, I am invigorated by the positive impact I’ve seen it have on audiences—especially, other military families who also need to reconnect.

We set out to make a film without stock footage, political pundits or anyone talking about an experience they weren’t currently living. I imagined but had no idea the transformation making this film would have on me.

Norman Powell: Brothers at War tells the story of a truly remarkable family. The
Rademachers' experience is a microcosm of service families all over this nation. Their story needs to be told. Jake's courage and tenacity and his family's generosity made that possible. I'm proud to have been a part of it.

What do you think it will mean for the public?

Jake: The film received a standing ovation at Fort Hood Texas by over 800 soldiers and family present. Both LTG Rick Lynch and CSM Ciotola stood in front of the crowd afterwards and said I did not tell my family's story, I told their story.

Because so many have said it captures camaraderie, what their life is like in Iraq, and after all the truth just steps away, I think there is an opportunity for the film to be the necessary bridge which will allow us to reconnect with our war fighters and for them to tell their important stories.

Norman: What I think we have achieved is a clear look into the lives of American warriors and their loved ones. An unbiased glimpse at the reality of a soldier's experience in Iraq. A composite portrait of the soldiers and Marines that Jake interacts with that comes off with honesty that reveals true human behavior.

What were your biggest challenges when making this film?

Jake: The first challenge was facing my mortality, and weighing whether it was worth risking my life and that of my crew to make Brothers at War. Later over coming 120 degree weather, back to back missions, and dodging bullets.

Norman: Asking my family and the Soldiers and Marines on the front lines to reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings.

What have you learned from this entire experience?

Jake: I have learned that our nation's warriors serving on the edge of the battlefield have a sense of humor, individuality, and degree of honor beyond what I could have ever imagined.

While the laughter, the tears, and the standing ovations with which the film has been greeted are deeply gratifying, the real reward is the thank you from a Gold Star mother, the tears that come from a battle-hardened warrior trying to relate what the film means to him—feedback I’ve received from warriors and their families about the impact the film has had on their healing process… I am humbled by what I have witnessed.

Norman: To never give up. This project died at least six times and each time we were able to resuscitate it. A classic example of the efficacy of perseverance.

After being part of this film, do you look at anything differently?

Jake: Before making the film overseas, what was happening in Iraq was very confusing for me. Getting behind the camouflage curtain with secret reconnaissance troops on the Syrian border, into sniper "hide sites" in the Sunni Triangle, and living through raging machine-gun battles with the Iraqi Army has given me a profound respect for what our war fighters are doing in Iraq. Their deeds inspire me. I hope that we can all admire those who pull from deep within and strive mightily for something greater than themselves.

Making the film also gave me greater insight into the families left behind. I have a deeper appreciation for what the wives and children of our service members endure while their loved ones fight overseas.

Norman: Not differently, but with sharpened focus. I have always believed that service above self-interest defines a hero and that certainly includes combat troops serving in the United States Military. What has profoundly impressed me is the humanity of the soldiers and the loved ones that support them. They are strong and vulnerable, profound and funny, reverent and profane.

What do you hope people will take from this film after watching it?

Jake: A Marine Colonel, Col. Daniel Newell, who I interviewed in Iraq, said to me quoting HUD, "'A society goes the way of the people it admires.' In our society we admire overgrown men who play children's games and complain about how much they're making. And no offense to you Jake, but people who partake in the theatrical arts. I've got Lance Corporals over here doing amazing things for peanuts, and nobody knows anything about it."

I hope that by riding shotgun on this journey with me, they'll see why I think the best part of my generation is serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Norman: Our goal is to engage the largest possible audience with revelation, insight, surprise and truth. To move them to laughter and to move them to tears. I hope and trust Brothers at War accomplishes this.