I noticed in the movie there were elements that related to The Things They carried. It also had themes that mirror the effects we learned about of PTSD. In the beginning of the movie the character narrating the opening sequence says something along the lines of feeling as though the walls are closing in around him. Anxiety and flashbacks are common with PTSD and think this shows here. We see the fans of the hotel room shown with the sounds of helicopters causing us to make the same association the character is experiencing. Then the camera darts from the the door, over the window, as if trying to find a way to escape the ever closing walls. Contradictions between the music and the visuals replicate O’briens common “beauty versus gory” theme. Like the slow tranquil music playing over explosions and burning palm trees. Much like O’brien, Coppola goes against audience expectations. In the movie, women are flown in the entertain the men and Captain Willard looks uneasy the entire time, moving to the edge of the crowd, again trying to escape. It is only when the chaos starts between his fellow soldiers that he sits down and relaxes. Even smiles.
Another connection between book and movie is how characters reach their breaking points. In The Things They Carried, Bowker’s breaking point isn’t the fear, or lack of strength, but the smell of the shit field. In the movie Chef’ breaking point is a tiger. Both unexpected. Lastly, something else I think represents how war and PTSD have the ability to remove you from reality is when the beach they want to surf on is being bombed and the main officer is just kneeling there shirtless, telling a war story about his victory and his soldiers are looking around frantically and jumping at the explosions.
I think overall a main similarity between O’brien and Coppola is their use “surface” material to represent profound and complex truths about war.
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