This striking and harrowing follows members of the Afghan national army as they battle with the Taliban in Helmand after Nato’s departure in 2014. It’s sobering fare, blending chaotic line-of-fire footage (a hellish standoff in Sangin) with up-close-and-personal accounts of the more mundane aspects of army life. Ruminations upon the fate of young men forced to the frontline by harsh economics serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing price of this conflict, with irregular pay, substandard supplies and the spectre of death an everyday reality. Joe Lewis’s score lends subtly powerful accompaniment, while a roll call of soldiers killed during the making of this film provides a mournful epitaph.
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year review – life on the frontline in Helmand
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Source : theguardian[dot]com