Synopsis
Playing Soldier weaves together the stories of people for whom “history is a personal thing” and war is an obsession. Their stories speak to the heart of what it is to be human and the need to find meaning in the worst of human experience. The film follows the exploits and foibles of six WWII reenactors, weaving together dissonant themes that point towards a collective search for meaning. It is an intimate look into a small, yet significant, American sub-culture that tens of thousands of Americans participate in each year. It portrays personal dramas that are echoed in national conversations on subjects like "what is truth?". Focussing mostly on the internal struggles of each character, the movie does not paint the characters as villains or heroes but rather as human beings with varying degrees of flaws. Some flaws are inconsequential, some are large and glaring.
Brad and Kami are a married couple who portray Nazis and attempt to justify their choice of roles. As reenactors, their goal is to engage spectators in empathizing with the German experience of the war. When they encounter Stacy and Marisha, conflicts arise.
Stacy and Marisha are two contemporary photographers entering the male-dominated world of reenacting. During reenactments, Stacy (who is Jewish) portrays Leni Reifenstahl, the German film director and photographer who created Nazi propaganda films.
Charles is an African-American retired police officer who, through his love of military models, discovers reenacting and uses it to alleviate his job-related PTSD.
Edward is a quintessential Southern history addict and collector with a passion for military minutiae. His extravagant collection of uniforms, weapons, and models spans centuries of wartime history.
Brad and Kami are a married couple who portray Nazis and attempt to justify their choice of roles. As reenactors, their goal is to engage spectators in empathizing with the German experience of the war. When they encounter Stacy and Marisha, conflicts arise.
Stacy and Marisha are two contemporary photographers entering the male-dominated world of reenacting. During reenactments, Stacy (who is Jewish) portrays Leni Reifenstahl, the German film director and photographer who created Nazi propaganda films.
Charles is an African-American retired police officer who, through his love of military models, discovers reenacting and uses it to alleviate his job-related PTSD.
Edward is a quintessential Southern history addict and collector with a passion for military minutiae. His extravagant collection of uniforms, weapons, and models spans centuries of wartime history.
Playing Soldier 1080P widescreen
If you were the star of your own film, with history as your script, who would you play? What character would you be? PLAYING SOLDIER follows the intersecting lives of World War II reenactors who claim that “history is a personal thing”. PLAYING SOLDIER follows the intersecting stories of six reenactors who come from very different backgrounds and with conflicting motivations. It also shows how, through reenacting, the stories that people tell are as much or more about themselves as they are about history.
Directed by Ed Gendron Music by David Franusich