Above the Best

I can't say enough great things about this film. I saw it with a few friends of mine and by the end of it we couldn't help but sit back and reflect on how grateful we are to be protected by men like Daniel Flores. Above the Best is no Hollywood Blockbuster. It is an action film that portrays the real life actions and heroism of real American heroes. The men and women featured in this film get the call and they are out to risk their lives. That is the kind of high stakes situations that are being addressed in this film. This film had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this film. David Salzberg has done it again.

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.

The amazing war documentary, Above The Best, is not only a unique look into the lives of soldiers in combat, but a story of courage and unity. The film tells the stories of soldiers and pilots and their experiences in the Korengal Valley through talking heads and footage that they personally took while in combat. The director's decision to use body cam footage to drive the narrative was a very creative choice that did a great job of portraying the reality and context of combat to the audience. The incredible editing of the raw footage captured by the soldiers really exemplified to me as a viewer the amount of bravery that is required of these people. You can see the dangers they put themselves in to protect other soldiers, some they may not even know, and it is truly inspiring. I thought it was incredible to see Apache pilot Daniel Flores talk about how his experiences have affected him and still affect him in his daily life. Overall, I would definitely recommend Above The Best as an extraordinary documentary about a story of heroism and teamwork.