Can the experiences of the soldiers and the student protesters be compared?
The juxtaposition of a brutal ambush to a demonstration makes the demonstration seem not as important somehow, because no one’s life was at stake. I was concerned with the way the students were presented. I was always battling to make them not feel trivial. On their own, you take them seriously, but compared to the battle for life and death, their stories don’t seem as important. The challenge was this juxtaposition. Everyone does have his or her own experience, and the country has its own experience. Ultimately, I think there was a sincerity that was just as strong with the students as it was with the soldiers. These were all 18-year-old kids at the time. These were young people forced into making big decisions. Mike Troyer ended up going to fight because he was working in a factory and he couldn’t keep up his credits. Jane Brotman ended up deciding to skip her French final. They seem like small events, but they shaped and changed their lives. back to top Do these people feel differen
