Almost by definition, most of the better films that deal with war effectively, and allow viewers some insight into how things got to this point, are those without a large advertising budget. Despite that, the theme of war did well at the box office last year. What also came across in many of the features was some balance of perspective, and there were some practical ideas on how to find sustainable peace.

There are six films that deal with war and the search for human connection, currently playing in theaters and that merit your attention: Babel; Days of Glory; Flags of Our Fathers; Letters from Iwo Jima; The Last King of Scotland; and Screamers. Flags of Our Fathers is also available for rent at your local video store.

It’s noteworthy to call out two of these films, both are directed by Clint Eastwood. Flags of our Fathers is about the famous WWII photograph of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. The impact on the lives of the men depicted, who were exalted to hero status, and later exploited to boost the sale of war bonds, is palpable.

Letters from Iwo Jima has many of the same battle field scenes as Flags, but from the point of view of the Japanese, and in the Japanese language, with subtitles. This is the more powerful film as it shows war in its raw form.

The following films, many out on DVD, offer thought-provoking commentaries about war and peace. You can find a link that provides reviews on each of these features, most released within the last couple of years. The one exception is the 1969 French classic, Army of Shadows. Please don’t let the fact that you’ve never heard of most of these films deter you. If you do, that’s just what those that support the war machine are hoping for.

The films with review links on the UCNS web site are: The Good German; The Good Shepherd; Paradise Now; Iraq in Fragments; Nice Bombs; United 93; The Fog of War; World Trade Center; An Inconvenient Truth; Army of Shadows; The Syrian Bride; Sophie Scholl: The Final Days; Fateless; V for Vendetta; Tsotsi; Why We Fight; Blood Diamond and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.