There have been many films that address the veteran struggle, from 1979's Apocloyspe Now to 1998's Saving Private Ryan and even Spike Lee's most recent film, Da 5 Bloods. These films tell the story of war heroes on and off the battlefield. Over the years, audiences have been captivated by the stories of these soldiers. We've watched them press forward during the war and into the eerily silent aftermath. Yet, despite our society's collective fascination with war, and the veterans returning home afterward, there have been very few films addressing their trials and triumphs from their own words.
Director Carlisle Kellam gives the vets back their story in his stoic but compelling Comfort Farms. Though we praise our armed service members as heroes, society seems unable to grapple with how to help veterans truly return home and find their beat in their respective communities. Veterans Affairs in its current state was implemented during World War I. However, like any government agency dependent on funds and lacking resources, the VA can only provide so much help. In turn, many vets have had to find their own ways to cope with life-- and some of them have been incredibly destructive. That's where former combat Army Ranger Jon Jackson's Comfort Farms comes in.
Named for Jackson's fallen Ranger brother Captain Kyle A. Comfort, the farm has become not just Jackson's sanctuary but one for vets across the nation. After attempting to take his own life following six tours oversees, Jackson decided to take back his narrative. He found purpose in the earth, in its dirt, history, and animals' life cycles. Set in central Georgia, the farm helps vets become butchers, farmers, chefs, and activists. Comfort Farms gives them something solid to lean into while they rebuild a sense of camaraderie and self that is often lost in civilian life. It also provides them with the opportunity to stretch their hands toward their community. The farm has become a new mission for these vets, one that teaches them how to eat, live, and thrive.
One of the most profound things about Comfort Farms is Kellam's choice to intertwine the footage from the farms and the war zones. This allows the vets to reflect on their past and connect it to their present. Vets like Trenton Free, Forrest Giles, Scott Kennedy, Bryan Kyzar, and Cr Sabathne make it clear that PTSD shouldn't be a catch-all phrase for vets. It only affects some vets. For others, it’s a battle that they are fighting in everyday life.
The film might have been even more effective if the structure had been shifted just slightly, Setting the audience in the middle of the farm first before pulling us back on the battlefield, but it’s still a solid film.
Since this is farming, Kellam does not shy away from addressing and putting a spotlight on the butchering that comes with it. Still, as we watch Jackson reflect on the deaths of animals and even demonstrate it, it's done humanely and with compassion. It's not supposed to be comfortable. Instead, the Agricultural Cognitive Behavior therapy forces an emotional connection for the vets and the viewers. It's a feeling that may have previously been buried deep inside.
Comfort Farms is not always an easy film to watch. In the beginning, as you're trying to sink into Jackson's story and the story of Comfort Farm, it feels at times unsettling. But that's precisely the point. By allowing these men to tell their stories, Kellam empowers these vets to take back their lives in a way that is healthy, active, and on their own terms, It's certainly not a pretty picture, but that's what makes it one of the most powerful docs on veteran experience out there.
Comfort Farms won the Grand Jury Prize at Film Invasion Los Angeles for Feature Documentary. It will be released this year on Video on Demand.