What I Want You To Know

A powerful film about veterans, moral injury, and the post-9/11 wars
by
Year Released
2024
Film Length(s)
89 mins
Closed captioning available
Remote video URL

Introduction

What I Want You To Know is an intimate journey alongside post-9/11 veterans as they share deeply personal stories from their deployments, exploring truth and justice in the context of their wars. Their depictions of moral injury provide a unique and critical perspective on the cost and consequences of war.

Featured review

This film is essential viewing for everyone, but it is particularly important for young adults who may have little ‘lived memory’ of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What I Want You To Know provides students with a context for the concepts and theories they have been exposed to in their courses. It gives them perspectives – often overlooked and based on first-hand knowledge and experiences - on the lasting impacts of those wars for the people tasked with carrying out America's policies.
Dr Jennifer Yoder
Robert E. Diamond Professor of Government and Global Studies, Colby College, Waterville ME

Synopsis

(PLEASE NOTE: What I Want You To Know contains authentic, uncensored stories, video and images from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The film may not be suitable for high school freshmen or sophomores.)

While many documentary films have been made about the post-911 wars, most provide a narrow focus on a single person or platoon, a single battle or incident. What I Want You To Know is a broad accounting of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an exploration of their costs and consequences, as told through interviews with thirteen veterans who served in combat roles in the Army and the Marines, in different ranks and specialties, and who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. Through deeply personal stories told with courage and candor - stories that are usually only talked about in private with other veterans – they share their experiences during and after their deployments and paint a picture of the moral complexities and impacts of their wars, and of war itself.

What I Want You To Know lays bare the extent of what war does to those who do the actual fighting, particularly with regard to moral injury, the profound psychological and emotional wound that many veterans carry from their wartime experiences. Viewing the film can increase awareness and understanding of veterans’ experiences, and can encourage empathy and support for veterans and their families.

Reviews

Good strategy should lead to a better state of peace. What this amazingly powerful film puts into question is whether the US wars of the last 2 decades ever came close to that goal.
Gregory Daddis
US Army veteran (Colonel, retired), Command Historian to the US Multi-National Corps-Iraq, Baghdad
What I Want You To Know is a gripping, honest and moving film. It's an important document of these wars.
Dr James Johnson
Boston University Professor of History
What I Want You To Know is an important film that gives civilians a window into the life-changing impact of military moral injury.
Dr. Nancy Ramsay
Director of the Soul Repair Center, Brite Divinity School
One of the most important documentaries of our time. It’s the most comprehensive look I’ve seen at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, provided by the soldiers who served on the ground in those wars. It elevates the voices of soldiers from all branches of service, from across the ranks, which is hard to find.
Dr Ben Schrader
Director, Adult Learner and Veteran Services, Colorado State University Veteran, 1st Inf Div, Iraq 2004-2005
This is a brilliant documentary film. What I Want You To Know embodies what a lot of us GWOT [Global War On Terror] veterans know deep down about our deployments, but haven't said out loud.
Tom Mannion
Veteran (3/6 Marines, Iraq 2005, 2007), New Hampshire State Representative

Awards and Screenings

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Maine International Film Festival (2023
WINNER: Audience Favorite Award, Maine International Film Festival (2023)
OFFICIAL SELECTION: International Film Festival The Hague (The Netherlands,2023)
WINNER: Award of Excellence, Impact Docs (2024)
CAMPUS SCREENING: College of St Scholastica (2024, Duluth MN)
CAMPUS SCREENING: University of Minnesota Duluth (2024)
CAMPUS SCREENING: University of California Irvine School of Social Sciences (2024)
CAMPUS SCREENING: University of Northern Colorado (2024, Greeley CO)
CAMPUS SCREENING: The Moral Injury Project at Syracuse University (2024, Syracuse NY)
CAMPUS SCREENING: Le Moyne College (2024, Syracuse NY)
CAMPUS SCREENING: Boston University History Department (2023, Boston MA)
CAMPUS SCREENING: Colby College Department of Global Studies (2023, Waterville ME)
CAMPUS SCREENING: Ashland University Center for Nonviolence (2024, Ashland OH)
CONFERENCE SCREENING: International Centre for Moral Injury Annual Conference (2024, Durham England)
CONFERENCE SCREENING: Partnerships for Veterans and Military Health Conference (2024, Denver CO)
CONFERENCE SCREENING: American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (2024, San Diego CA)
NATIONAL VIRTUAL SCREENING: Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School (2024)
NATIONAL VIRTUAL SCREENING: Friends Committee on National Legislation (2024)
NATIONAL VIRTUAL SCREENING: The Quincy Institute (2023)
COMMUNITY SCREENING: Foothills Unitarian Church (2024, Ft Collins CO)
COMMUNITY SCREENING: Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative (2023, Providence RI)
COMMUNITY SCREENING: The Lyric Theater (2023, Ft Collins CO)
COMMUNITY SCREENING: Old Town Community Center (2023, Old Town ME)

Director Commentary

After the Maine International Film Festival, a mother who was in the audience with her young adult daughter told me that when the film ended, her daughter turned to her and asked why their family had never talked about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which were happening as she was growing up. Several educators have shared with me that their students know little or nothing about the wars – and are hungry to learn about them. I hadn’t realized how invisible the wars were to the general public, and how young people in particular were and perhaps still are shielded from knowing about them.

A large percentage of America’s young people, especially those enrolled in colleges and universities, have no connection with veterans or with the military. Everything they know about armed conflicts has likely come from watching movies or playing video games. They (like many people in general) know very little about war in the real world, or about the cost to the men and women we send to fight our wars.

What I Want You To Know can help disabuse young people of romantic and adventurous fictions imparted to them by movies and video games. The film can help them learn about the realities of war and its real world impact on veterans and on civilians. It can help them understand why America has a responsibility to support veterans and their families, and to make the decision to go to war carefullly, because of war's consequences. The film can also provide a framework for a larger discussion of our recent history, and the recent history of Iraq and Afghanistan and their regions.

Features and Languages

Film Features

  • Closed Captioning
  • Subtitles

Film/Audio Languages

  • English

Subtitle/Caption Languages

  • English

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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