Hell And Back Again review

US photojournalist Danfung Dennis provides a grunt’s-eye perspective on the ongoing war in Afghanistan in this intimate doc. Shifting between firefights in the Helmand Valley against the ghostlike Taliban and physical rehabilitation in North Carolina, Dennis’ central focus is Marine Sergeant Nathan Harris, who returns from his tour of duty with a metal rod running from shattered hip to knee. Flashbacks, overlapping sound and dynamic editing viscerally convey Harris’ state of mind, leaving a bleak picture of the struggle to win the Afghani people’s trust.