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.

After watching Above The Best, directed by David Salzberg, I felt a strong sense of renewed patriotism and understanding for the courageousness of our American soldiers. Salzberg and Tureaud placed a strong emphasis on the selfless acts of heroism portrayed by warriors such as Chris Ambro and Bill Cook. The heartfelt retelling of the traumatic and strenuous events of combat provided me with an eye-opening grasp on the reality that these are real people who are out risking their lives for our country. The display of valor and selflessness by the soldiers in this film left me feeling utterly grateful and indebted to not only those featured in Above The Best, but American soldiers universally. This inspiring film awakened me to the idea of new perspectives while providing me with a refreshed esteem for our country!

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.

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.

Above The Best tells a story of selflessness among a team of Army pilots and crew. The brave people of this combat group focus on the mission and what needs to be done and put those needs before their own. The incredible men and women fighting the Taliban are altruistic not only to each other but also to the members of the Afghanistan military. The unity between the two sides is unique to see and sheds light on a part of war that most people don't see. Matt Hall and Naser Ahmadi's connection during the war and ability to help each other when they need is most shows the audience that these people are not enemies but allies. This film is a great story of the courageous men and women that fought alongside each other and were together until the end and for these reasons I would definitely recommend this film!