Staff Sergeant Maggie Swan...Michelle Monaghan
Richard...Ron Livingston
Staff Sergeant Donovan...Pablo Schreiber
Alma...Emmanuelle Chriqui
Captain Garver...Freddy Rodriguez
Sergeant Butcher...Gbenga Akinnagbe
Mike Swann...John Savage
Luis...Manolo Cardona
Javier...Juan Gabriel Paraia
Specialist Cook...Drew Garrett
First Sergeant Killens...Jacob Browne
Paul Swann...Oakes Fegley
Released 11 September 2014
Budget: $1 million
Box Office: $669,247
 |
| Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas |
 |
| Michelle Monaghan as Sgt. Maggie Swan and Oakes Fegley as Paul Swann |
 |
| American soldiers, Afghanistan, 2012. |
So here's the simple question, given we've seen just a little of it. What do you think? Like? Dislike? Why? And what do you think of Maggie? Good soldier, yes: good mother? And what scene or moment particularly stuck with you from today's viewing. Write 250 or so words. This isn't a 10 minute or five minute writing. Give it more attention than that, okay?
See you all Friday.
I think the movie is difficult to watch because, as an outsider looking in, it is hard to see Sgt Swan be unable to contain her frustration with her son. I kept wanting her to just be stronger, to be able to understand where her son is coming from and how to fix it. I think Maggie is a loving mother, but she is not a “good” mother as we think of today, which seems obvious given her background. The scene that jumped out at me was when Maggie yelled at Paul to never “disrespect” her. I think it shows how out of touch she is with the world she is returning to. Not “disrespecting” her is something we infer she has said to soldiers in the Army, but it is difficult to see her yell that at her confused son.
ReplyDeleteAs Keyes has said, this is a hard movie to watch, even from the first scene, where Sergant Swan has to remove the live explosive from a man’s stomach (I will never be able to be a doctor). The other parts of the move aren’t as “intense” or as “loud”, but they are hard in a different way. It is frustrating to see how difficult the transition home is for Maggie, and it’s upsetting to see how Paul has forgotten her, but also to see how Maggie struggles to connect with Paul. The scene that has stuck with me from today’s viewing was when Maggie first sees Paul, when he’s crying and doesn’t want to go with her. As Maggie just picks Paul up and puts him in the car, the sound muffled. Until that point, the only other time that Claudia Myers made the choice of muffling the sound was when Maggie is in Afghanistan, in combat. I don’t know why, but that connection has really stuck with me, and I think it shows how Maggie is struggling to separate being home from being ‘in country’.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I like Fort Bliss. Watching this film presents an extremely different experience than reading Hemingway does, and the change came as a bit of a relief. So far, it appears as if nothing in the movie is hidden below the surface. Although the characters are multifaceted and complex, they are overt in their complexity and the emotions portrayed are strong and raw. We see this type of emotion displayed by Maggie and Paul in particular, and it can be painful to watch. While Maggie is extremely strong and tough on the exterior, we also see into her internal emotional turmoil as she tries to reconnect with her son, reclaim her role as a mother, and define her life as a civilian. The scene that really stuck with me is the one in which Maggie and her ex-husband argue in the kitchen. During the course of the argument, Richard makes it clear that he blames Maggie for Paul’s challenging upbringing, and even says that she threw away the opportunity to be a good mother when she went on second deployment. From this interaction I was able to draw several connections to the discussions I’ve been having in my history class regarding the role of women and the concept of motherhood in American society during the first half of the 20th century. To me, this movie does a good job of illustrating how the struggle women undergo in defining their identities as mothers and within their careers — especially when the jobs they have are traditionally masculine — remains an issue in present day society.
ReplyDelete1) So here's the simple question, given we've seen just a little of it. What do you think? Like? Dislike? Why? And what do you think of Maggie? Good soldier, yes: good mother? And what scene or moment particularly stuck with you from today's viewing. Write 250 or so words. This isn't a 10 minute or five minute writing. Give it more attention than that, okay?
ReplyDeleteIn general, this movie has made me very emotional so far. We haven’t even watched the whole thing, and yet I have already cried several times during the movie. I believe part of this to be because of how real the movie feels. Although it is fiction, the actions that go on in every scene honestly feel like something that happens in real life all the time. Every scene and word in the movie is very meaningful. The biggest quote being, “If you wanted to stay with him, you wouldn’t have stayed in the army”. The quote itself obviously holds a lot of weight to it. It makes Maggie question her role as a mother and as a soldier. It makes it as if you can only be one or the other. You can’t be both. However, what broke my heart was most of Maggie’s interactions with Paul. For example, when Paul started calling Ama his mother and comparing Maggie’s cooking to Ama’s. The scene that broke my heart the most though was when she brought of the picture book of her with Duckie every week on patrol. Paul’s response was, “I don’t play with that anymore. That’s more little kids”. The memory and promise that Maggie kept during her time at war, for 15 months, Paul didn’t even remember. It almost gives off the feeling, “What was the point in going to the army in the first place?” If you went to the army to protect what you hold dear and come back with it broken, then what was the point in going in the first place? Probably one of the only things that kept her going, wanting to return home was her son, which doesn’t even remember her. This is shown extensively in the returning scene. While all the other soldiers around her are surrounded by their loved ones waiting to see her, no one is waiting for her. It is really a blow to self-esteem. I would definitely believe it would be hard to take and shows the differing in expectations vs. reality. In addition, I really appreciated the part where Maggie’s father (a.k.a. STEVE!!!!!) retold her about the story of the man who slept for a 100 years only to find that the world around him had changed and used it as an allusion to her daily life now. I really like the quote:
“You just have to be patient.”
“Were you patient?”
“No at all.”
I really appreciate “Fort Bliss.” In order to understand the “true war narrative,” I think it is crucial that we understand war from multiple perspectives. Following Sergeant Maggie gives me insight into the different challenges of being in the army and a part of a family. I agree with what Sophia said about Maggie struggling with the paradox of being a mother and a committed sergeant. When Richard said, “If you wanted to stay with him you wouldn’t have stayed in the army,” I thought about the double standard between men and women. When a woman leaves her family for her job, I think it is seen as a reflection on her commitment to her family and her ability to be a “good” mother. In history class, we are discussing how society limits women by forcing them to prioritise being a stereotypical mother or wife and then shaming them when they don’t stay within their gender role. I believe that Maggie is not necessarily prioritising her work over her child, but rather sees a connection between fighting in Afghanistan to protect her child as well as feeling like it is her duty to serve. I appreciate that she doesn’t separate her identity as a sergeant and a mother. Though this lack of division causes some parenting issues, she tries to learn from her mistakes rather than completely giving up. I think that it is hard to judge whether or not Maggie is a good mother because of her unique circumstances. The way she was trained to deal with people in the army is obviously not suitable for caring for a five year old child, but she is learning how to adjust. The directors of the movie do an incredible job inspiring empathy in the audience for Maggie’s journey. Many of the scenes stuck out to me, but I loved the scene when Maggie shows Paul the huge gun, and he says that Alma doesn’t have a gun. I felt guilty for liking this scene because I don’t like the idea of young children idolising guns, but this scene provided a break of tension in their relationship. For the first time Paul sees his mother for the badass woman she is. In her family, I don’t feel like her service has been appreciated to the extent that it should be, but Paul recognises the strength in his mother fighting in the war rather than seeing it as shameful or unloving.
ReplyDeleteI think I like this film. Very, very intense (John, where was the warning?) I so badly want to classify her as a good mother. Yes, I think she is a decent mother. She may curse at her child, which is what she is used to, and be a little physical; however, the scrapbook of the Adventures of Ducky is one of the most adorable movie scenes I have ever seen in my life. All her memories of her child are uprooted, and I think she has reason to be angry. The look on Maggie’s face as she marches away from her failure-of-a-husband’s house has stayed with me. Seeing that determination and drive as she carries her son, who cries for another woman, was heartbreaking. The theme of how easy it is to die has also stuck with me. The guy who recruits Maggie talks about the soldier whose stomach Maggie removed the explosive from. That soldier lived through that whole medical procedure, the rest of his time, and ended up dying in a car crash outside of Walmart. Maggie could not truly save him. This story highlights the precariousness of life.
ReplyDeleteI personally have really enjoyed watching this movie so far. It makes a lot of sense to me and is easier to understand than some of the other movies we have watched this year. I feel like it's really realistic, but at the same time it has kind of that Hollywood feel to it that makes it sort of more like a chick flick, and a movie that I would be more inclined to choose to watch on my own over a movie like The Deer Hunter. There's the growing relationship between the mom and the son where she shows him all of the trucks and he says the classic line of something like "Alma doesn't have a gun like you do", and of course her date is good with children and lets her take his motorcycle and then her and her sun ride through a beautiful sunset on it. I feel like despite maybe popular opinion, I really enjoyed watching those scenes and thought they were really heart warming and made me happy, even though they were a little more on the dramatic Hollywood side of things. I have a guilty pleasure of watching videos of soldiers coming home from war to their families and surprising them, and I thought it was really interesting how the movie showed a different side of the that and another type of soldier-homecoming story, the type that isn't heartwarming or goes viral because of how sweet it is or how excited the family members are to see the returning soldier. I like how it shows not only the struggle of readjustment of the returning soldier, but also of the family that they are coming home to. I hadn't really thought or usually don't think much of the family's reactions or how they must be feeling until now, and if I do think about the families, I usually think about positive reactions and how happy they must be that their family member is home safe so it was honestly pretty eye-opening for me to see it portrayed this way.
ReplyDeleteI’ve really enjoyed “Fort Bliss” so far. From an ex-film student perspective, I appreciate the cinematography, the use of muted colors and the close up shots that really exaggerate Swann’s subtle expressions, and bring them to the forefront of the audience’s mind. I think that Michelle Monaghan does an incredible job of expressing Maggie’s reactions to each situation by using a method I can only describe as a skillful use negative space. When Paul repeats over and over that Maggie is not his mother, Maggie’s face remains blank, as if she is making a conscious effort to remain unaffected. Her lack of emotion is extremely eye-catching. Her deadpan expression exaggerates a blatant lack of emotion that, arguably, causes the audience to learn more about Maggie’s character than if she reacted in a more expected manner. Because of this, the scene that stuck with me in particular is when Maggie and Paul are at the dinner table, and Paul knocks his food onto the floor. Maggie reacts in an extremely aggressive manner, something we have yet to really see from her before. But looking back, it is clear to see that this reaction stems from that same aforementioned negative space. Maggie’s reactions to each upsetting experience since her return home seemed to have built up and been released at once, a sort of ‘snap’ as Paul throws his food on the floor. I’m extremely interested to see how Maggie’s patterns of reaction change throughout the film, if at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that “Fort Bliss" is a well-made and powerful movie, and I feel extremely attached to the characters, a sign of a good film. I cannot begin to imagine coming home from war, after seeing extreme violence and death, and having to adjust to regular society. As we have seen with Ron Kovic, Emmett, and others, there are serious mental effects, which are evident in Maggie’s nightmares and violence towards her son. On top of all that, Maggie must also deal with her family relationships. She obviously loves and cares about her son, but I don’t know if this is enough to say she is a good mother. I can understand why she takes Paul away from Alma and his dad, but I don’t think it was the right decision to isolate him. She was only thinking of how she would rebuild her relationship with her son, not of how disruptive it would be to his life. A lot of the scenes in the movie are incredibly emotional, but I can’t stop thinking about when Maggie makes the men at Fort Bliss use a stopwatch to time her doing the medic drill. I love a strong female character, and there is no doubt that Maggie is one. However, I hate that she has to prove her worth by doing it herself and that the other soldiers do not respect her as much as they should. This shows the double standards that women must face, particularly in the military.
ReplyDelete1. I don’t like or dislike this “Fort Bliss”, rather the movie is uncomfortable. Starting with the first scene, I think that the audience is meant to feel disgusted by the graphic medical work that Maggie does, but I don’t think that was the source of my discomfort. Instead, it was the uncomfortable scenes when Maggie returns home from war that were more difficult for me to watch. The scene that was hardest for me was her entrance into Richard’s home and first time seeing Paul in 15 months. The awkward silence that follows creates a different type of discomfort than the scene in Afghanistan. As the audience, we are more knowledgeable about the difficult journey it has taken Maggie to reach Paul, but as a young kid he has no idea. It is clear that Maggie is far more in her element in war than in her previous home. This shows the disconnect which has grown between her and the reality she used to live. Furthermore, this explains why she begins working at Fort Bliss because she has to stay connected to the way of life she feels most comfortable with. The same goes for the scene where she gifts Paul the album with the photos of his rubber duck on tour with her. Paul doesn’t comprehend what she has been doing for the ladder part of his life and this creates a disconnect in their relationship. I think that Maggie is not a good mother. She clearly relies on control, which is important in parenting, but it is important to strike a balance. She decides everything for Paul: where he lives, the food he eats, etc. Thus, she is too overbearing even for a child as young as Paul.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I’m enjoying this movie. I think this film is the one that has made me laugh the most so far, especially when Maggie was showing her son her rifle in a version of take-your-child-to-work day. I also like the specificity that the focus on Maggie allows the film to showcase. We get to see her reactions to many different situations, from war to motherhood, and, in particular, her stoic frustration and hurt as she deals with her son is quite touching. It’s true that she’s not a perfect mother. She doesn’t seem to know how to deal with a four or five-year old, and loses her patience easily. I feel like she’s not used feeling helpless with solving problems. Her immediate reaction when she snaps is to demand obedience from him, as if they were at war. It’s not only when she grabs him, yells at him, and forces him to pick up the food he’s pushed to the floor; she also basically tears him away from what has been his family for half his life without any regard for his feelings, when it would have been gentler, if less efficient, to take things more slowly and talk to him. It almost feels selfish for her need to connect to him to be more important than his feelings of security. And her needs in general, really. She gets pretty drunk with her date while her son is falling asleep at the bar counter. She’s gone at all hours of the day and has to drop him off at preK before dawn because she’s working in the military and headed for another deployment in a while. And, as mentioned in the quote, her deployment is what has created the distance between them in the first place. Then again, men are rarely forced to choose between fatherhood and their careers in such a way. It really struck me how this was basically a feminine narrative about work-life balance, except her work happens to be the military. Of course, this increases her sense of duty and responsibility to the people she’s saving and working with, in addition to clearly loving a job she’s good at. Her showing the platoon what she’s made of is a delight to watch (“Time me.”). I respect that aspect of her too much to say that it makes her a bad mother, because that’s just egregiously unfair that she is expected to give up everything for her son. She’s also obviously trying and is slowly making some headway in establishing trust with her child, but she’s definitely not particularly good at mothering either.
ReplyDeleteI really like this movie so far. I think it is very engaging and ties into a lot of the stories and films that we have previously studied. Similarly to Born on the Fourth of July and The Deer Hunter, in this film, the soldiers return to a world that has gone on without them, and they feel stuck in the past. They are drawn to the order and sense of purpose that they felt when they were in the military. Maggie, like Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July, cannot sleep and experiences nightmares about what she did and saw in the war.
ReplyDeleteA scene I found particularly shocking was when Maggie cursed out her son and yelled at him. While he was being disrespectful, she should not have lost her temper like that. However, she acknowledges this and apologizes to Paul. I experienced many emotions ranging from sad, angry, and sympathetic in the scene where she pulls out the photo album with the adventures of ducky and Paul does not remember even giving ducky to her. She seemed so proud of that photo album and she had clearly put a lot of time and effort into it. At the same time, though, one could not be mad at Paul for being a child and forgetting what he said when he was younger. I loved the scene when Maggie brings her jeep to get it repaired and Javier tries to charge her more than the parts are worth, but Maggie does not take any of it. She knows exactly what needs to be fixed and how much those parts cost. I also loved how she just took his bike and drove away with Paul on the back. That was such a badass moment.
Prompt One: I do enjoy the film. Wow! Some parts of Texas are really beautiful. I wouldn’t mind my daily commute if I could take a motorcycle along some of those winding roads. But even if it’s really pretty, the Fort Bliss to which Maggie returns isn’t the same as it once was. I certainly dislike her ex_husband. He is really rude and just says the worst things. Blaming that Paul’s weird behaviors on her absence when he obviously hasn’t done much to be there for his own son really rubs me the wrong way. At least Alma has been able to fill that caring role, thought at the expense of complicating things more! I definitely think that Maggie loves and has been missing her son for a while, the scene where she took him to the army trucks a precious example of that, but their relationship is strained. I would hesitate to call her a « good mother , » what I would say is one who acts in their child’s best interest, but the love and effort to ameliorate their relationship (like when she says « let’s introduce ourselves like we´ve never met ») certainly makes the tension all the more sad.
ReplyDelete