Film Synopsis
Breaking Ranks is a moving documentary that examines the current phenomena of US soldiers seeking refuge in Canada as part of their resistance to the war effort in Iraq. With intimate access to four American military deserters, their lawyer and families, this film documents their experiences as they try to exercise their consciences amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences. If deported, they face the venom of mainstream American opinion and one to five years in prison. If Canada instead follows the legacy established by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the Vietnam War, when Canada welcomed tens of thousands of war resisters, there may well be an unprecedented crisis in U.S.-Canadian relations. Filmed over the course of the refugee process, this provocative film explores the meaning of duty through the powerful testimonies of these young soldiers. In so doing, Breaking Ranks poses challenging political, cultural and historical questions for Canadians and the world.
Sharing stories of moral awakening and the burden that it brings, the emotional core of Breaking Ranks is formed by candid interviews with these four young men as they take us on their journeys from the moment of recruitment to the momentous decision to desert.
Directed by Michelle Mason, an award-winning filmmaker whose first film, The Friendship Village, was an inspiring account of reconciliation between American and Vietnamese veterans, Breaking Ranks reveals the everyday lives, hopes, and idealism of another generation of young soldiers as they become controversial peace activists.
Breaking Ranks is a universal story about the painful forming of character, of men growing to manhood in more complex ways than they expected. Heroes to some and traitors to others, as these young men navigate the international controversy caused by their decisions, their stories raise challenging questions about citizenship and the meaning of duty.
A Screen Siren Pictures Production in Co-Production with the National Film Board of Canada for Global Television.
Produced in Association with Cypress Park Productions. Produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry CTF: License Fee Program, Rogers Documentary Fund and with the assistance of The Government of Canada Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC.
Produced in Association with Knowledge Network. Developed with the participation of British Columbia Film, the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund and with the financial participation of Rogers Telefund
