Married to the war: Stop-loss, interview with director Kimberly Peirce


Today our Entertainment Editor Anne Ichikawa interviewed Kimberly Peirce, the director of the new film, Stop-Loss (she also directed an Oscar-winning little film called Boys Don't Cry back in '99). I haven't seen Stop-Loss yet, but I've been reading the reviews, and the film, which chronicles the battles Iraq soldiers must face both overseas and back home, it sounds like something everyone should see. Here's what Peirce has to say:

What made you want to make your current film "Stop-loss"?

"I was in New York for 9/11 and I saw the towers fall and that was really devastating to me as it was to everyone. When we declared war, I immediately knew that I was most interested in the soldiers. Really deeply interested in why they were signing up, what their experience in combat was and their experience coming home. The stories of the soldi ers were so profound and moving; I started interviewing them across the country and what I discovered was that these soldiers signed up for these patriotic reasons: to protect their home, their family and their country. Then when they got over there they say, well, it's not really about that -- it's about protecting the soldier to your left, the soldier to your right, it's about bringing your soldiers home safely. We are sending these people over there to fight and I feel its our obligation to understand what their experience. It's the story of our generation."

To read more of the interview check it out here.