They are all just teenagers (a little insight after watching)

Kiana 2022-04-19 09:02:43

This is a very complete documentary, in terms of form and content, it can be divided into three parts before and after the war. The black-and-white images at the beginning seemed to bring people back to the period of black-and-white film, when British soldiers lied about their age in order to go to war. Many people joined the army only because of their peers or their friends. They are ignorant about war, just curious. Many people want to give up early in training, and others still doubt whether they can shoot people. The frame suddenly became wider, and the picture also had color, as if the picture scroll was opened, we entered the scene, and all the shooting was real. We could even see many soldiers staring at the camera all the time, and many of them were used for jokes. War is brutal, and the voiceover takes us to his story as the director switches back and forth between the smiles of soldiers and the horrors of death. It's as if we've all been through it all. We'll find out that they're all just kids, and they'll tease each other in front of the camera and rejoice that they're on camera. The brutality of the war was in stark contrast to them. After the war, the soldiers returned home. In fact, post-war syndrome was very common, especially when the medical level was limited at that time, but after these soldiers returned, no one really cared about them. No one can understand what they've been through, and people who haven't experienced it won't, so they have to take it on their own. Friends die in front of their eyes, and some people even suddenly "miss" the battlefield and the feeling of killing. Suddenly returning to calm, they will feel at a loss, do not know what to do, these are left to them by the war.

They were all teenagers when they went to war, and when they said they saw German prisoners, they didn't have a strong desire to kill, only sympathy. I am a little touched. They are all children of their parents, and they may be in their teens. Most of them do not have the strong racial desire for war as their leaders. They are more just performing their duties and defending the country. At the same time, I also think that the person who recorded all this is very great. He risked his life to take these precious shots. Not only is it of great significance to the country, but it may also record the last image of a soldier.

Finally hope that there will never be another war.

View more about They Shall Not Grow Old reviews

Extended Reading

Top cast

They Shall Not Grow Old quotes

  • Soldier: [waving at camera] Hi, mum.

  • Soldier: You don't look, you see. You don't hear, you listen. You taste the top of your mouth. Your nose is filled with fumes and death. But the veneer of civilization has dropped away.