American Sniper Film Analysis

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Serving in the army is always connoted with glory and respect, however, the negative aspects are many times overlooked. Although it is true that many veterans garner respect and glory from serving their country, many come back broken, whether it be physically or mentally. The latter of which is demonstrated in the movie American Sniper directed by Clint Eastwood through Chris Kyle, a decorated Navy SEAL veteran. Kyle is left traumatized by the haunting memories of war. Consequently, as Kyle attempts to assimilate back into civilian life, he experiences symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The film’s portrayal of Kyle’s PTSD is strikingly accurate as the many details in the motion picture are corroborated with scholarly research …show more content…

The article, “Auditory hallucinations and PTSD in ex-POWS” explains that auditory hallucinations are shown symptoms of veterans and ex prisoners of war (ex-POW). The research was conducted as a longitudinal study that surveyed veterans and ex-POWs. Some of the sample suffered from PTSD, while others did not. To the sufferers, the auditory hallucinations seem external and real―something they cannot control. These veterans and ex-POWS were tested twice to establish the prevalence of auditory hallucinations. The results prove that there is indeed a correlation between auditory hallucinations and PTSD. Veterans and ex-POWs have a higher rate of experiencing auditory hallucinations than those who do not suffer from PTSD (Crompton, Lahav, & Solomon, 2017). Auditory hallucinations are shown when Kyle is sitting on his chair staring at a television set that is turned off. In the scene, the viewer hears distant gunshots and the low constant beating of a helicopter. These are soon revealed to be hallucinations as Kyle is not in a war setting, but at home during a party for his children (Cooper & Eastwood, 2014). This scene accurately portrays PTSD because there is a positive correlation between auditory hallucinations in veterans with PTSD. In this case, since Kyle is a veteran and a trauma survivor, it is highly likely that he would experience auditory hallucinations. Therefore, Kyle’s auditory hallucinations are highly possible and expected for someone in his position. Further, his experience with auditory hallucinations are accurately portrayed. Kyle’s hallucinations are external to him, they don’t sound internal but rather out in the distance. Not only that, but he cannot seem to control the hallucinations either. He does not seem to realize they are hallucinations as he does not try to “fight off” the hallucinations. In this case, American Sniper portrays PTSD consistently with what

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