MOVIE REVIEW

Scant light is shed on the internal journeys traveled by the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By Mark Olsen, Special to The Times

The documentary "Operation Homecoming" grew out of a project created by the National Endowment for the Arts to gather writings of all kinds — journals, letters, poetry, fiction, essays — by soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. As stated in the film, the idea was to "start a new chapter in the long history of war writing," a lineage that stretches from as far back as "The Iliad" to "The Red Badge of Courage," encompassing as well "Dispatches" and "Jarhead."

If only the film, directed by Richard E. Robbins, were up to the task of integrating both the specifics of contemporary reflections on current conflicts and the greater history of wartime writing. Rather, it often feels like two different movies. One is a collection of talking heads speaking generally about the nature of writing about war, sort of a dry blend of C-SPAN and the History Channel. The other film competing for attention is a series of dramatic readings voiced by such formidable talent as Beau Bridges, Robert Duvall, Aaron Eckhart, Justin Kirk, John Krasinski and others. Robbins tries mightily to find unique ways to visually portray each reading, and some, such as an animated sequence that is the film's highlight, do capture a sense of both the writing itself and the traumas of the experience. Most, however, seem to do more of a disservice to the writings than aid in any greater understanding of their emotional meaning, as they just sort of drift off into a cumulatively self-same lull.

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Satirist Al Franken recently stated on "The Late Show With David Letterman" that the most heartbreaking aspect of his work with the USO is overhearing soldiers' phone calls back home while in the field. "Operation Homecoming" never quite captures anything so poignant or precise, rather falling into seemingly endless variations of "war is hell." As true as that may be, surviving the internal transformations men and women go through in the name of military service for their country remains a mysterious endeavor for those who have not served. A project such as "Operation Homecoming" should shed light on their experiences, but Robbins' film just falls short.

"Operation Homecoming." Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 21 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Grande, 345 S. Figueroa St., Downtown L.A. (213) 617-0268.