Soldiers reflect on Afghan war experience in 'Korengal'

Pioneer Press ^ | 7-2-14 | alter Addiego

[TurboZamboni]

Sebastian Junger's "Korengal" is a kind of sequel to 2010's "Restrepo," but also stands on its own as an intense and affecting report on the experiences of U.S. troops in one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan.

For the earlier film, Junger and co-director Tim Hetherington spent a year embedded with members of the Second Platoon of the 503rd Infantry Regiment in the Korengal Valley, which has been nicknamed the "Valley of Death." The new film is structured differently, but both are all about the men's experiences, leaving aside the politics or morality of the fighting.

Junger uses some of the footage shot during the filmmakers' time in Afghanistan, detailing the troops' hardships and following them on nerve-wracking patrols and firefights.

Sebastian Junger's "Korengal" is a kind of sequel to 2010's "Restrepo." For "Korengal," he's added recent interviews with soldiers who appeared in "Restrepo,"