The Invisible War

It seems as if so many documentaries are "issue" films, and when people advocate a certain documentary to win an Oscar, they are not using the film's quality as a criterion, but instead the issue itself. The Invisible War, a nominee this year, will make you very mad (if you are a decent human being), but the filmmaking itself is fairly pedestrian. It is all talking heads, and while some of the testimony is heartbreaking, it's pretty standard fare.

The topic is sexual assault in the military. Kirby Dick, who also directed and was nominated for Twist of Faith, about priests who molested children, is exposing another sordid tradition--the assault on female (and male) military personnel. What gets the viewer angry is the absolute lack of effort the military makes in prosecuting the offenders. Usually it is swept under the rug and the victim ends up getting charged with something, like adultery (even if they're single).

The numbers, presented as silent title cards, are pretty amazing. Twenty percent of women in the military have reported being sexually assaulted, so that doesn't count those who don't report. Fifteen percent of men who join the military have raped or attempted rape, which is twice the civilian population (7.5 percent is pretty fucking high as it is, but more on that below). Dick has found many courageous women (and one man) who speak up about their rapes--all of them have some sort of PTSD, and none of their assailants were charged.

The primary spokesperson is Kori Cioca, who was raped while in the Coast Guard. She was also hit in the face and has chronic pain, which the VA has denied her benefits for. She is a petite spitfire who is determined to take on the entire U.S. government if necessary. But before that, she actually wrote a suicide note, ready to kill herself, but then she discovered she was pregnant. She and her husband freely discuss their sex lives (understandably, she's not often in the mood) and when asked what she would like to see happen to her assailant, she replies that his falling off a boat and getting chewed up by a propeller would be appropriate.

She's just one of several women who bravely reveal what happened to them, from all branches of the military. One woman was in the Marine Barracks in Washington, where the elite Marines are stationed. What she found was appalling, as she was told that females are only there for the men "to fuck." Another is an investigator, nine years into her service when she was raped by a fellow investigator. Dick also brings up the old scandals, such as Tailhook, a Navy conference where women were forced to run a gauntlet of men who tried to strip them of their clothes.

Dick interviews some military brass, including a doctor who has woefully inadequate plans of addressing the problem. She has posters and training videos that urge women to use a "buddy" system and men to intervene. First of all, men will not intervene, as a kind of omerta is employed, as cover ups shroud the crime from prosecution. Secondly, the old notion that women are solely responsible for their own safety needs to be changed. Instead of instructing women to be careful and not wear makeup, dress provocatively, etc., how about teaching men not to rape?

The film did get some results. After it premiered at Sundance, then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta saw the film and ended the practice of base commanders leading the investigation. This was a horribly ineffective practice, as the accused might be the commander's friend, or even the commander himself. For that, the film should be lauded, as it should for the courage of those who came forward.

The Invisible War raises some issues that need airing. It is pointed out that this is not just a military problem--the rapists are usually of the serial kind, so it's not necessarily a by product of a social situation in the military. It's a symptom of the society at large. I mean, 7.5 percent of all American men have raped someone or attempted it? That's a horrible statistic.