Above the Best

This is a horrible film about a National Guard Apache unit. They were my unit's replacements in 2006 and they were a horrible unit. The National Guard should not have AH-64 aircraft because being an attack aviator is a full time job. Please do not judge Army attack aviation by this one weird film and by this horrible unit who let their lift brothers and ground forces down day after day.

Great, some random warrant officer illegally strapped a GoPro camera to the outside of his aircraft to get flight footage. Wonder if he got an official release from the Army to show his flight footage?? Did he have an Airworthiness Release (AWR) for the addition of the outside camera??

I wouldn't have made a film about a less than stellar Apache unit. There are much better units and pilots out there with much better stories.

Above The Best was an exceptionally inspirational documentary that presented a story about US soldiers who fought in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The film was presented through the unique lens of actual raw footage that was captured by the soldiers themselves. An element in the film that I found particularly moving was seeing how the American soldiers teamed together with Afghan troops, which really emphasized the tone of togetherness and selflessness. One of the Afghans, Naser Ahmadi, showed a great deal of heroism while risking his life for his brothers in battle and presented a unique perspective of what occurred during the war. With that being said, Above The Best was a film that guided me to feel a great sense of empathy for these heroes and I really want to encourage you to give it a watch too.

Of all the attributes that make Above the Best an astounding war documentary, I think the unique editing style really sets it apart. The film features archival footage from the war in Afghanistan paired with interviews of the soldiers who recorded and lived through the battles depicted in the footage. During the interviews, they cut the footage to create a glitching effect when the veterans discuss their panic and anxiety attacks from the war. This gave me a visual representation of the disorientation they felt as they lived through the battle that was being shown throughout the film. There was also a vignette effect used during these anxiety attacks that portrayed the feeling of claustrophobia the soldier was experiencing. These editing tactics only made the emotions and feelings expressed throughout this documentary more powerful and moving. Above the Best is definitely a strong, emotionally driven film that is important for people to see.

In order to avoid spoilers, I may be a bit vague here. The overarching story of the bravery of Army air support crews is a good one. It is something I am interested in and it should have been easy for this film to engage me and make me happy I watched it. But sadly, it failed to do that. I say sadly because I was interested and wanted to know more and to understand. Instead I just ended up confused. The film begins with one tale in Afghanistan. A sad and terrible tale. Switches to a stateside tale in Maryland. Then returns to Afghanistan but never effectively ties them all together. The first story gets lost entirely. I still have no idea how it relates to the main thrust of the film. The second and third tales are related but there are huge unanswered questions about how they became connected. I was very interested in this film but ended up disappointed.

David Salzberg, director of the Heroes of Valor Collection, presents Above The Best, a documentary about the Afghan war told through the soldier's perspective. Through the honesty of the bodycam footage, photos, and testimonies, I was able to understand the intense sense of challenge and brotherhood of war in a gracious way. Listening to Daniel Flores testimony, while also being able to experience his time in Afghanistan made the story come to life before my eyes. Seeing the interactions of the aviators and soldiers on the ground, beautifully illustrates the ability of American soldiers to risk their lives for those they have never met. Watching this film, gives a real understanding of sacrifice and what it takes to be able to act when others cannot.