X
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 32 m
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 32 m

Summary From a snowy small town in Northern Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan and back, Where Soldiers Come From follows the four-year journey of childhood friends, forever changed by a faraway war. A documentary about growing up, Where Soldiers Come From, is an intimate look at the young men who fight our wars and the families and town ...

Directed By: Heather Courtney

  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 32 m
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 32 m

Where Soldiers Come From

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
58
User Score Available after 4 ratings
tbd
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary From a snowy small town in Northern Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan and back, Where Soldiers Come From follows the four-year journey of childhood friends, forever changed by a faraway war. A documentary about growing up, Where Soldiers Come From, is an intimate look at the young men who fight our wars and the families and town ...

Directed By: Heather Courtney

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
58
38% Positive
3 Reviews
63% Mixed
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 8 Critic Reviews
58
38% Positive
3 Reviews
63% Mixed
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Sep 5, 2011
Covering their lives with intimate access from before boot camp to the difficult return home, Heather Courtney's documentary packs a savage but understated punch.
FULL REVIEW
70
Sep 8, 2011
Where Soldiers Come From is, more than anything, a commentary on class. In its compassionate, modest gaze, the real cost of distant political decisions is softly illuminated, as well as the shame of a country with little to offer its less fortunate young people than a ticket to a battlefield.
By Jeannette Catsoulis FULL REVIEW
70
Sep 6, 2011
Much of what's presented is familiar territory, but it's the moments that fracture prejudices and expectations that stick with you.
By Ernest Hardy FULL REVIEW
60
Sep 6, 2011
It's only during the last third that the film finds its footing, as the PTSD fallout and collective sense of disillusionment suggest a bigger picture regarding why we fight, etc. Otherwise, this decent, if decidedly personal, look at small-town soldiers works better as an erratic scrapbook than a representative statement.
By David Fear FULL REVIEW
50
Oct 9, 2011
Despite the film's unvarnished emotionality and even-handed messaging, Courtney never seems to have found an appropriate focus, resulting in a work that's less urgent and involving than its intense subject matter might have dictated.
By Gary Goldstein FULL REVIEW
50
Sep 17, 2011
There's a good deal of honest emotion onscreen, particularly from the parents left behind to worry, yet the documentary sometimes feels like the work of a filmmaker who began with a preconceived story and wasn't quite sure what to do with the one she actually got.
By J.R. Jones FULL REVIEW
50
Sep 4, 2011
A four-year study of an Afghan war-bound group of friends (the mother of Cole, the goofy joker of the group, compares the boys to the characters in The Deer Hunter), Courtney's documentary is equal parts heartfelt and public-television predictable.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Release Date Sep 9, 2011
Duration 1 h 32 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Website http://www.wheresoldierscomefrom.com/
View All Details

Awards

Film Independent Spirit Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Philadelphia Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
News & Documentary Emmy Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie