westsideschl
A blend of Vietnam war footage, about 10% of film time but would like to have seen more, with a contemporary mix of about a dozen reenact ors, including veterans ranging from, approximately, Vietnam (2), Iraq & Afghanistan (2), as well as individuals with an interest in the Vietnam war. All taking place in Oregon. "In Country" joins the list of over a hundred movies with that war as an integral part of the storyline. Pre-enactment rituals include preparing their Vietnam era gear, then mapping the couple of days reconnaissance trek. Finally, giving outcome cards (e.g. whether you are to be a casualty, etc.) to each squad member. Also, coordinating with an outside group to act as enemy (gooks). Not explained in the film is who this surrogate enemy actually was and what their exact roles were to be. Another pre-trek ritual was showing the film "Easy Rider" (a popular anti-war film at the time) as well as a chalk board litany disparaging those in the US that were against the war. Also not explained was how this event was funded and how it was organized. Oddly, one of the central figures, Sgt. Hayden Baumgartner, who played a significant role in the film is not listed in the film's credits nor amongst the names of participants in the films's IMDb cast list. He died in 2011 even though the film was released in 2014. One of the participants says, "that he thinks about it (the war) every day, the brutality of it; you don't forget stuff like that." As a twist of fate, today Vietnam has close relations with the US.
