The Invisible War

For other uses, see Invisible War (disambiguation).
The Invisible War

Promotional poster
Directed by Kirby Dick
Produced by Amy Ziering
Tanner King Barklow
Written by Kirby Dick
Cinematography Thaddeus Wadleigh
Kirsten Johnson
Edited by Douglas Blush
Derek Boonstra
Production
company
Chain Camera Pictures
Distributed by Cinedigm
Docurama Films
Release dates
Running time
 97 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $71,968[1]

The Invisible War is a 2012 documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering and Tanner King Barklow about sexual assault in the United States military. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award.[2] The film has been lauded by advocates, lawmakers, and journalists for its influence on government policies to reduce the prevalence of rape in the armed forces.[3]

The Invisible War is the recipient of a Peabody Award and Emmy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Outstanding Investigative Journalism.[4][5] It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards.[6]

Background

In 2010, 108,121 veterans screened positive for military sexual trauma, and 68,379 had at least one Veterans Health Administration outpatient visit for related conditions. Also in 2010, The Department of Defense processed reports of 3,198 new assaults but estimated the actual number of assaults to be closer to 19,000. However, these reports only resulted in convictions against 244 perpetrators.[7]

Synopsis

The Invisible War features interviews with veterans from multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces who recount the events surrounding their assaults. Their stories show many common themes, such as the lack of recourse to an impartial justice system, reprisals against survivors instead of against perpetrators, the absence of adequate emotional and physical care for survivors, the unhindered advancement of perpetrators' careers, and the forced expulsion of survivors from service.

Interspersed with these first person testimonies are interviews with advocates, journalists, mental health professionals, active duty and retired generals, Department of Defense officials, and members of the military justice system. The film also includes footage, often shot by the veterans themselves, which documents their lives and continuing struggles in the aftermath of their assaults.

In the film's most prominent narrative, Coast Guard veteran Seaman Kori Cioca struggles to earn benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for the many medical difficulties that have resulted from her rape. With the help of attorney Susan L. Burke, Cioca, along with other survivors featured in the film, brings Cioca v. Rumsfeld, a civil suit against the Department of Defense alleging a failure to adequately address sexual assault within the military.

Other past incidents of sexual abuse recounted in the film include the 1991 Navy Tailhook scandal, the 1996 Army Aberdeen scandal, and the 2003 Air Force Academy scandal. The Invisible War uses these examples to argue that the military has consistently made empty promises to address its high rate of sexual assault. These stories culminate with an examination of the previously unreported[8] culture of sexual harassment and sexual assault at the prestigious Marine Barracks Washington.

The survivors and advocates featured in the film call for changes to the way the military handles sexual assault, such as shifting prosecution away from unit commanders, who often are either friends with assailants or are assailants themselves.

Interviews

People interviewed in The Invisible War include:

Members of Congress

Military personnel

Response

Following its release, The Invisible War was heralded for exposing a culture of widespread sexual harassment and sexual assault at Marine Barracks Washington.[8][9][10] In March 2012, eight women, including two who appeared in the film, filed suit against military leaders for maintaining an environment that tolerates rapists while silencing survivors.[11]

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta viewed the film on April 14, 2012.[12][13] On April 16, 2012, Secretary Panetta issued a directive ordering all sexual assault cases to be handled by senior officers at the rank of colonel or higher, which effectively ended the practice of commanders adjudicating these cases from within their own units.[14] In his 2014 memoir Worthy Fights, Panetta states that watching The Invisible War was one of the main factors that influenced him to take action on the issue of sexual assault in the military.[15]

On June 25, 2012, the Marine Corps unveiled a new plan to combat sexual assault. Marine Corps Commandant General James F. Amos met with all non-deployed Marine generals to review the new procedures, which seek to discourage unsafe environments while increasing reporting.[16][17] In November 2012 Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh met with all active wing commanders to screen the film and discuss the problem of rape in the military.[18] The film's distributor estimates that 235,000 service members viewed The Invisible War in 2012.[18]

On January 4, 2013, President Barack Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. This law included many improvements to the military's handling of sexual assault cases, such as barring individuals with felony sex abuse convictions from receiving enlistment waivers, forming special victims units to investigate and prosecute sexual assault cases, and installing new policies to prevent professional retaliation against assault survivors.[19][20]

According to The New York Times, the film "has been credited with both persuading more women to come forward to report abuse and with forcing the military to deal more openly with the problem."[21] The Times also notes that the film helped spur the House Armed Services Committee to hold a January 23, 2013 hearing on sexual assault in the military.[22] During the hearing, Rep. Mike Turner acknowledged the film for illustrating the hostility faced by many survivors who speak up or seek help.[23] The Invisible War was again discussed during a Senate subcommittee hearing on March 13, 2013 in which lawmakers and military officials described the film's impact on military training programs dealing with sexual assault.[24]

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand credits The Invisible War with inspiring her to create legislation to reduce sexual assault in the military. In her 2014 memoir Off the Sidelines, Gillibrand writes, "Nothing in my life...prepared me for what I saw in that film.... Whatever it took, I had to help bring justice to these survivors, and I needed to work to prevent future crimes.”[25] In November 2013, Gillibrand introduced the Military Justice Improvement Act, which would require military sexual assault cases to be handled be an independent judiciary body.[26] In March 2014 the bill failed to secure enough votes to break a filibuster.[27]

Reception

The Invisible War received widespread acclaim from critics.[28][29] At the end of 2012, it held a 100% Fresh rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, which also listed it as the #1 film of the year.[30]

The film appeared on numerous year-end best lists, including in The New York Times, Time, and the National Board of Review.[31][32][33] The Chicago Film Critics Association named it the Best Documentary of 2012.[34]

The Christian Science Monitor’s Peter Rainer observed that the film broke new ground, as it "was the first to really explore the issue of rape in the military" and that "the fact that this subject has taken so long to achieve full-scale exposure was itself symptomatic of the problem." He selected it as one of the top ten films of the year.[35][36]

The Boston Globe’s Christopher Wallenberg noted that The Invisible War "achieved a rare feat for a documentary by breaking a national news story: The alleged coverup of incidents of sexual assault and harassment at the prestigious Marine Barracks Washington." Other critics also focused on the film's investigative journalism,[37][38] including A. O. Scott, who wrote in The New York Times that Dick is "one of the indispensable muckrakers of American cinema, zeroing in on frequently painful stories about how power functions in the absence or failure of accountability."[39]

Jonathan Hahn of The Los Angeles Review of Books said, "There are some works of writing or painting, speech, or film that do more than just stand as great works of art. They change things. They put before us something fundamentally wrong with the world — with the society we take for granted, with the institutions on which we depend and that in turn depend on us — and demand change. The Invisible War belongs in that pantheon, and is easily one of the most important films of the year."[40]

Two survivors and one service provider who appear in "The Invisible War" criticized the filmmakers for their fleeting focus on male victims. Director Kirby Dick responded, saying that he is empathetic toward their concerns, but felt that focusing on women would serve as the best "entry point" for the discussion.[41]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Organization Category Result
2012 Audience Award Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary Won[42][43]
Nestor Almendros Award Human Rights Watch Film Festival Courage in Filmmaking Won[44]
Silver Heart Award Dallas International Film Festival Humanitarian Award Won[45]
Audience Award Seattle International Film Festival Best Documentary Won[46]
Audience Award Provincetown International Film Festival Best Documentary Feature Won[47]
Best of Festival DocuWest International Documentary Film Festival Humanitarian Award Won[48]
Advocacy Award Peace Over Violence Humanitarian Award Won[49]
IDA Award International Documentary Association Best Feature Nominated[50]
2013 Spirit Award Film Independent Best Documentary Won[51]
WGA Award Writers Guild of America Best Documentary Screenplay Nominated[52]
Academy Award Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Documentary Feature Nominated[6]
DGA Award Directors Guild of America Documentary Directing Nominated[53]
Ridenhour Prize The Nation Institute Documentary Film Won[54]
Peabody Award The Peabody Awards Won[5]
Impact Award BRITDOC Foundation Jury Special Commendation Won[55]
2014 Emmy Award National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Best Documentary Feature Won[4]
Outstanding Investigative Journalism – Long Form Won[4]

References

  1. ↑ "The Invisible War". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Invisible War at Sundance Film Festival". Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  3. ↑ Draper, Robert (26 November 2014). "The Military's Rough Justice on Sexual Assault". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES ANNOUNCES WINNERS AT THE 35TH ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARDS". emmyonline.org. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 73rd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Oscars 2013: Complete list of nominees". The Los Angeles Times. January 10, 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military: Fiscal Year 2010" (PDF). Department of Defense. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  8. 1 2 Ellison, Jese (2012-03-06). "Panetta, Gates, Rumsfeld Face New Suit Over U.S. Military Rape 'Epidemic'". The Daily Beast.
  9. ↑ Dawson, Stephanie (2012-06-19). "Film Review: The Invisible War". Limité. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  10. ↑ Honeycutt, Kirk (2012-05-31). "'The Invisible War'". 'Honeycutt's Hollywood. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  11. ↑ Standifer, Cid (2012-03-06). "Military women's lawsuit alleges rape, assault". Army Times. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  12. ↑ Ellison, Jese (2012-06-11). "The Invisible War Filmmaker Kirby Dick Takes on the Pentagon". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  13. ↑ Pond, Steve (2012-06-18). "Military Rape Documentary 'Invisible War' Leads to Policy Changes Before Its Opening". The Wrap. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  14. ↑ Daniel, Lisa (2012-04-16). "Panetta, Dempsey Announce Initiatives to Stop Sexual Assault". American Forces Press Service.
  15. ↑ Panetta, Leon (2014). Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace. New York: Penguin. p. 453.
  16. ↑ Hlad, Jennifer (2012-06-25). "Marines release new plan to prevent sexual assault". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  17. ↑ "THE AMOS PLANS: Generals Will Lead USMC's Fight Against Sexual Assaults; Young Corporals and Seargeants Get Suicide Prevention…It's Gonna be a Tough Year". The Military Suicide Report. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  18. 1 2 Rosenberg, Alyssa (February 7, 2013). "'The Invisible War': How Oscar's Military Rape Documentary Might Change Everything". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  19. ↑ Bennett, John (2013-01-03). "Obama signs sequestration delay, defense bill". Army Times. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  20. ↑ "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 Wrap-Up". Invisible No More. 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  21. ↑ Risen, James (January 23, 2013). "Air Force Leaders Testify on Culture That Led to Sexual Assaults of Recruits". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  22. ↑ Rohter, Larry (January 23, 2013). "A Documentarian Focused on Trauma in Its Many Forms". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  23. ↑ "House Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on Sexual Misconduct at Lackland Air Force Base , Panel 1" (PDF). CQ Congressional Transcripts. January 23, 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "Hearing to Receive Testimony on Sexual Assaults in the Military" (PDF). United States Senate. March 13, 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  25. ↑ Gillibrand, Kirsten (2014). Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World. New York: Ballantine.
  26. ↑ Huval, Rebecca (10 May 2013). "Sen. Gillibrand Credits The Invisible War with Shaping New Bill". pbs.org. PBS. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  27. ↑ Neuman, Scott (6 March 2014). "Senate Blocks Bill To Overhaul Military Sex Assault Prosecutions". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  28. ↑ "The Invisible War at Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  29. ↑ "The Invisible War at Metacritic". Retrieved 2012-07-06.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Movies of 2012". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  31. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2012-12-16). "The Year of the Body Vulnerable". The New York Times.
  32. ↑ Corliss, Richard (2012-12-04). "The Invisible War". Top 10 Everything of 2012. Time. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  33. ↑ "2012 NBR Awards Announced". National Board of Review. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  34. ↑ Benzine, Adam (December 17, 2012). ""Invisible War" feted by Chicago Critics". real screen. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  35. ↑ Rainer, Peter (June 27, 2012). "The Invisible War: movie review". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  36. ↑ Rainer, Peter (December 21, 2012). "The best films of 2012". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  37. ↑ Kim, Jonathan (2012-06-20). "ReThink Interview: Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering on The Invisible War". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  38. ↑ Bittencourt, Ela (2012-06-13). "Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2012: The Invisible War". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  39. ↑ Scott, A. O. (2012-06-21). "For Some Who Served, an Awful Betrayal of Trust: 'The Invisible War,' directed by Kirby Dick". The New York Times.
  40. ↑ Hahn, Jonathan (June 22, 2012). "Jonathan Hahn interviews Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick". The Los Angeles Review of Books.
  41. ↑ "'Betrayed': Male rape victims slam Oscar-nominated filmmakers over focus on women". NBC News'. February 13, 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  42. ↑ Jonathan Riskind (February 26, 2012). "Collins, Snowe rank as least conservative GOP senators". Maine Sunday Telegram. MaineToday Media, Inc.; www.pressherald.com. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  43. ↑ "British film continues to shine at Sundance". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited; www.telegraph.co.uk. February 8, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Sundance: The Invisible War at The Human Rights Watch Film Festival". Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  45. ↑ Libresco, Caroline. "Silver Heart Award Winner: The Invisible War". Retrieved 2012-01-08.
  46. ↑ "SIFF 2012 Award Winners". Retrieved 2013-01-08.
  47. ↑ "Provincetown International Film Festival". Retrieved 2012-01-08.
  48. ↑ "DocuWest International Documentary Film Festival: September 11-15, 2013". Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  49. ↑ "Annual Humanitarian Awards - Peace Over Violence". Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  50. ↑ "IDA Documentary Awards 2012". Retrieved 2012-01-08.
  51. ↑ "The Invisible War - Spirit Awards 2013". Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  52. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (January 4, 2012). "WGA Announces Nominations Ranging from 'Lincoln' to 'Looper'". Retrieved 2012-01-08.
  53. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (January 14, 2013). "DGA Awards Documentary Nominations Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  54. ↑ Lee, Diana (February 22, 2013). "2013 Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize Winner Announced". The Nation Institute. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  55. ↑ "PUMA Impact Award Goes to...The Act of Killing". britdoc.org. BRITDOC Foundation. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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