Blood Stripe

Blood Stripe is a 2016 movie directed by Remy Auberjonois, starring his father Rene Auberjonois, Chris Sullivan, and Rusty Schwimmer. The film takes a deep, introspective look at reintegration after military service through the life of a troubled female veteran.

The central character, played with intensity and depth by Kate Nowlin, is simply known as “Our Sergeant.” She is a marine veteran who is coming home after her third tour in Afghanistan. With the battle scars not so much on her body but deep inside her mind, she struggles to adjust to the mundane and seemingly trivial aspects of everyday civilian life, showcasing a different kind of warfare that opens up once the soldiers return home.

Her immediate interactions after her return shine a light on her unease. She is unable to sit still, to sleep well, to converse as easily as she used to, or even to dress without her military precision. She is straightforward, thorough, but inwardly anguished. Her husband, played by Chris Sullivan, is sympathetic, caring, but somewhat oblivious to the extent of her inner turmoil. As she struggles with these seemingly normal interactions and post-deployment routines, viewers witness firsthand the intricate struggles of military veterans upon reentering society.

Impulsively, she decides to escape the strain of the adjustment and head to a rustic cabin in the wilderness of Northern Minnesota, which belongs to a family friend. The film then takes a turn into a stunning landscape of serenity, offering a stark contrast to the protagonist’s turbulent despair.

Rene Auberjonois's performance as the family friend, Art, is especially notable. He plays a jovial man with a surface-level understanding of her struggle. Rusty Schwimmer, known as Dot, plays his warm and caring wife, who tries to keep the enforced tranquility of their world from shattering with the turbulent entrance of the sergeant.

The movie, with its striking mise-en-scene contrasts, subtly insinuates the disconnect between the serene, indifferent natural world and the protagonist’s disoriented mind. The wilderness, with its vast openness and ceaseless quiet, becomes her new battleground. Her struggle with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) does not end with her move to the cabin, but rather intensifies. She endeavors to find clarity and peace, though it’s not an easy journey. Remarkably, she doesn’t falter or break, but keeps pushing through, just like a true marine who goes headfirst into the line of fire.

The film makes use of the isolation to explore the theme of PTSD in an intimate setting where the character's internal struggle embodies the crux of the story. Throughout the movie, we see her working tirelessly, partly to distract herself, but mainly to achieve peace – a peace that seems reluctant to come.

The suspense of the film doesn’t arise from actual physical confrontations but from the battles within her mind. The quiet battles that she fights within herself create a mesmerizing portrait of her struggle.

Blood Stripe brilliantly juxtaposes her need for perspective with the serenity around her. The intense performance by Kate Nowlin not only plays a significant part in compelling the audience to sympathize with her plight but also forces them to be her silent companions in this journey. In fact, the film is partially inspired by Nowlin's interactions with real-life veterans during a USO tour, bringing a strong thread of authenticity to her portrayal.

Blood Stripe doesn't follow the traditional narrative arc we often see in war or post-war movies. Remy Auberjonois and Kate Nowlin, who penned the script, handle the complexities of post-traumatic stress disorder with empathy, sensitivity, and stark realism, giving viewers an immersive perspective about the experiences of many war veterans.

Overall, Blood Stripe is a poignant exploration of human resilience and the unseen scars of warfare. It is intense yet subtle, full of emotion yet void of melodrama. It showcases the internal conflicts that soldiers often grapple with during their reintegration into civilian life. The film, therefore, serves as a melancholic testament to the silent struggles of veterans that often go unnoticed.