I am a Royal Soldier (2024)
| I am a Royal Soldier | |
|---|---|
| File:I am a Royal Soldier FilmPoster.png | |
| Directed by | Halvard Osterholt |
| Country | Caspiaa |
I am a Royal Soldier is a 2024 Caspiaan documentary film directed by Halvard Osterholt. The film follows the Royal Caspiaan Army's 2nd Airborne Division during its deployment in Terehan from October 2022 to February 2024.
Synopsis
This is the inside story of what happens to a company of Caspiaan Royal Army soldiers- ninety-two air assault troopers from the 2nd Airborne Division - who are sent to fight, suffer and try to survive a full year's tour of duty in Terehan. From the final stages of their training and farewells at Basne Army Base, through their deployment to Jataran, Casaat, and then the return home to their loved ones, this is a searching examination of the combat, the life and death struggles, and the profound changes in the lives of these professional soldiers who set out with hope and confidence of making a difference in Terehan.
The filmmakers were given unprecedented access to the soldiers for sixteen months: from deployment to withdrawal, and accompanied them into the most dangerous places. The result is a feature film that attempts to examine the Terehan War with ruthless scrutiny, with honesty and fairness, and reveals courage of an uncommon kind.
Before they leave Basne, hundreds of soldiers shout a Caspiaan war cry in response to their brigade commander's dramatic war speech in which he tells them to "look like a killer" at all times in Terehan. The film begins by demonstrating the lethal force of Caspiaa's best-trained soldiers. But that is not how the rest of the story unfolds.
The soldiers of the division find it increasingly difficult to carry out their mission in a hostile environment, full of deception and danger. A carefully planned attempt to destroy a team of insurgents who are firing rockets and mortars at them, the troops are sabotaged by the over-protective actions of a parent unit from the Sixth Infantry Division. Despite vigilant surveillance work, superior weapons and training, and all the energy of their warrior natures, the soldiers are thrown into the most frustrating mission conceivable.
This is a film about young men and their commanders who prepare in earnest for their duty, who understand what they are meant to do in Terehan, and how - through their experiences in multiple towns and villages - dramatic changes take place in their perspectives.
It is about soldiers who fight for their lives when their APC is destroyed by insurgents. It is about a specialist who shoots up a car full of people who later turn out to be civilians. It is about mothers and young wives, gathered at a military funeral for the soldiers killed in action in Terehan, mourning their lost sons and husbands.
This is their story, narrated by the soldiers and their families. It provides the most revealing, in-depth look inside the Royal Army at war ever produced on film.