Movie Review: The Invisible War by Kirby Dick

The Invisible War is a 2012 documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering and Tanner King Barklow about sexual assault in the United States military. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award. The film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards. I am not surprised - it fully deserves far more than just that.

My impressions

The movie features interviews with veterans (mainly female but also male) from multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces who recount the events surrounding their assaults. Their stories show many common, depressingly recurring themes:  the lack of recourse to an impartial justice system, reprisals against the victims instead of against perpetrators, the absence of adequate emotional and physical care for survivors, and something which I found perhaps the most sickening of all,  the unhindered advancement of perpetrators' careers, and the forced expulsion of survivors from service. In short they show how low the US Army really values their best and brightest soldiers.

In the film's most prominent narrative, Coast Guard veteran Seaman Kori Cioca struggles to earn benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for the many medical difficulties that have resulted from her very brutal rape perpetrated by one of her colleagues. Although she has a husband and a little daughter, Kori cannot function normally and she needs urgently several costly operations but nobody wants to hear about her problems, let alone finance the treatment. She shows that the doctors keep prescribing her the same set of pills which, combined, might have led to her premature death - fortunately she's learned not to take them together. With the help of attorney Susan L. Burke, Cioca, along with other survivors featured in the film, brings a civil suit against the Department of Defense alleging a failure to adequately address sexual assault within the military. Their suit is, surprise, surprise, unsuccessful. They don't give up but you can say it is going to be one long struggle, lined with barbed wire and concertina of neglect, lies, procrastination and humiliations.

If you're a young person thinking of enlisting in the U.S. military, you might want to give this some thought: a recent court decision held that rape was actualy among "occupational hazards" of the job. I bet they haven't included that one in any recruitment materials, have they? Department of Defense official figures indicate 22,800 rapes occurred last year in the Armed Services. Most of the victims were women, but perhaps 10 percent were men. Everybody agrees it is just a tip of the iceberg because most of assaults, like 80%, aren't reported - for obvious reasons. If victims are told that they might be accused of adultery, public intoxication and slander in turn, then publicly punished shamed and demoted, you should be hardly surprised they do think twice before filing a complaint.

Why rape is so disgustingly popular among military? Why is it so difficult to get any amount of justice? The military is a macho, adrenaline-fueled culture which in turn draws attention of power-crazy, abusive sociopaths. It doesn't mean every single one of military men and/or women is a rapist; it rather means that a violent rapist might be particularly inclined to join the ranks of military because he/she might perceive it as an opportunity for having mostly nonpunishable 'fun' and a fresh batch of victims in a form of recruits.

The Army lay great emphasis on authority and teamwork. You follow the leader - no questions asked. You go along with the program - no matter at what cost. You never mention anything negative or criminal because it might lower the morale and cast a shadow on your own career prospects. What's more, your complaint not only puts your commanding officer in a bad light, but also may involve him; the film says "25 percent of women didn't report an incident — because their commander was their rapist." Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Until a few months ago, there was no way to go above your commander to report a rape. Defense Dept. Secretary Leon Panetta saw this film, and two days later, issued an order changing that practice. But the over-all problem remains. Rape is twice as common in the military as in civilian life, and "an estimated 15 percent of recruits attempted or committed rape before entering service." In other words if you need a rapist in your life, join the Army - any branch will do - and sooner or later you're bound to meet one.

If I had to choose the most disturbing moment I would be really spoilt for choices; still I guess my award would go to that silly military sex abuse prevention campaign which was supposed to make all the difference. One of its slogans reads: 'ask her when she is sober'. I found it highly offensive, especially after getting to know all those sad, horrible stories of rape. So, accroding to the military PR specialists, basically only women soldiers get drunk, right? And, after all, it IS a bit of their fault because they tend to overuse alcohol and then some men, poor things, simply cannot restrain themselves...but still, mind you, they will always ask you first, like fine gentlemen they are...what a pile of stinking, macho bullshit.

Finally the most moving and absolutely heartrending parts were about the aftermath of rape. Every victim, and we speak here about incredibly strong women and men, both physically and mentally, cried when talking about their experience. Some said it was actually more humiliating than the rape itself. Their tears were more telling than any statistics or facts provided.

Final verdict:

An absolute must-see for any young woman who dreams about a military career in the US or anywhere else - watch it before it is too late, do your research and ask the right questions during the recruitment process. Also a strong documentary which tries to explain why  rape culture is alive and kicking and why, even if you are a high-profile professional, male or female, you cannot demand any respect or decency from your military superiors and coworkers. The film's implication, quite starkly, is that a strong military doesn't favor crybabies, that a certain degree of rape is simply unavoidable — and inevitably, that some women may have been asking for it. Begging for it in fact. One hearing noted that the victim was dressed provocatively in a short skirt- the said skirt being the part of her official uniform. How very indecent of her. Catch 22 anyone? The US Army is waiting.