The Invisible War

Director: Kirby Dick
Year Released: 2012
Rating: 2.0

Documentarian Dick investigates the shocking prevalence of rape in the U.S. Military of male soldiers sexually assaulting not only females but also males, while the Department of Defense does little to help, intervene and punish the offenders. It's important to break this up into two parts, as a Message/Propaganda and as a Film: as a Message it's absolutely vital and essential, a warning to potential recruits (and even those actively serving) and quick assessment of the Catch-22 that is military protocol (essentially, Men Covering Up for Other Men), but as a Film it's merely functional, a procession of women (and a few men) who are (understandably) upset and seem to have the same exact tragic story and feeble as an examination of masculine culture as a whole (Dick takes pleasure in cutting from the military spokespeople regurgitating 'policy' or dodging the question to vocal, impassioned outsiders). It packs an emotional kick because no one sane wants to watch real people suffer, but as a work of Artistic Quality with depth and nuance it's decidedly lacking.