Unknown Soldier: Searching for a Father (2005)
From HBO's "America Undercover." On June 30, 1969, Lt. Jack Hulme was killed in Vietnam, having never met his newborn son. Thirty years later, filmmaker John Hulme finally seeks out what happened to his father, and who he really was. From family members and childhood friends to the soldiers who fought beside him, John tracks down everyone, chasing his fathers ghost across the country. What he discovers is a life that mirrored a generations struggles...husbands vs. wives, soldiers vs. protestors, America vs. Vietnam. But he also finds wounds that are painfully fresh, especially his mothers. Together, using the accounts of first-hand witnesses, they travel back to Vietnam, to the place where Jack spent the last few moments of his life so they can finally come to terms with his death.
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Simply A Masterpiece
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
I watched this movie on HBO a couple of months ago. I re-watched it a couple nights later when my wife came in to watch it. She knew I had been moved deeply when I first viewed the movie. I was in Vietnam in 1968. I was a support person and didn't really see that much action. We did get shot at a few times and one time a couple of guys were wounded when our KP shack took a direct hit. The interviews with the filmmaker's mother and the family of his father are gut-wrenching sometimes. But, they always ring true. When the filmmaker finally finds a soldier that served with his dad in Vietnam it really gets heavy. Stories like this can't be made up. Tremendous moving film about one of the many true American "heros". I am looking for this on DVD. Many great moments, a fabulous documentary.
I am a Operation Iraqi freedom Veteran and will attempt to produce my own documentary, about the reserve/Guard experience. I'd like to get a copy of this film. I'll probably write a more complete review on what I just finished watching at another time. I'll be thinking about this film for a long time. Every once in a while, I think of my own experiences with many mixed emotions. I always appreciate the time I spend with other veterans. I hope everyone will thank a veteran each and every time they meet one, especially those of the Korean and Vietnam wars, as they were often vilified. Don't ever hate a veteran, but feel free to express your disappointment of world leaders, it's one of the reasons we wore the uniform.
I just caught this on HBO and was impressed. Rarely do films engage me on such a personal level. It makes you think about war and relationships honestly, unlike shallow, clichéd, crappy war movies. Part detective story, part personal journey, it made me think what it means to be a man, an American, and a child of the Vietnam generation. Although the film takes a pretty neutral position on politics, it also made wonder why we keep making the same mistakes. Why are our young men dieing in a foreign land for a lost cause? In another 30 years, will another young man or woman make a film about their missing parent? My father was also in Vietnam in 1970, and I feel like I have better understanding of my father and the war. I guess the film confirmed what I already knew: I'm a fortunate son.