Yevette Renee Movie Review: BLOOD STRIPE
2019
Director: Remy Auberjonois
Screenwriters: Kate Nowlin, Remy Auberjonois
Cast: Kate Nowlin, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Lipinski, Rusty Schwimmer, Chris Sullivan, Ken Marks
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Through The Lens of a Female Combat Veteran Remy Auberjonis makes his directorial debut with his compelling drama BLOOD STRIPE that exposes the horrific toll of war on US Marine combat veteran, Sarge (Kate Knowlin), after three tours of duty in Afghanistan and the challenges she faces as she attempts to find her place at home and in her community. So often, films show the effects of war on our male combat soldiers and seeing the hardship and struggles from a women’s perspective adds a new dimension to the conversation on veterans and PTSD.
Returning to her husband, Rusty (Chris Sullivan) in their small town, Sarge does her best to assume her role as his wife, but her violent temper, excessive drinking and the painful exercise routine that she subjects herself to, makes it exceedingly difficult for her to cope, yet she refuses to go to the VA hospital for medical care because of substantial wait time for treatment. Imagine, having a PTSD crisis and later off to the kitchen cooking, cleaning and pouring coffee. The honeymoon is short lived.
When she is honored with a celebration it triggers another PTSD episode and the natural human instinct of self- preservation kicks in and fear and flight takes over. Where does one go for help? She runs and runs until she finds herself at a lakeside camp, the great outdoors, where she vacationed as a child.
Upon reaching the camp, she is not alone and finds caretaker Dot (Rusty Schwimmer) and her husband closing the camp for the season. Dot barters with Sarge for room and board in exchange for her doing caretaking chores. Dot’s way of doing what she can to help an injured soul.
The grueling work required provides Sarge with a small amount of reprieve from emotional and mental anguish yet the demons keep roaring back as she struggles for her sanity. As the saying goes, Where ever you go, there you are.
By choosing a small town and the summer camp as well as not showing Sarge in actual combat, her character is not lost in what is happening around her and is kept in the forefront of the film.
A non-traditional take on military veterans with a female Shero. A film worth seeing.
Not Rated
Runtime: 87 minutes
Production Company: Tandem Pictures
Cast: Kate Nowlin, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Lipinski, Rusty Schwimmer, Chris Sullivan, Ken Marks
Director: Remy Auberjonois
Screenwriters: Kate Nowlin, Remy Auberjonois
Producer: Schuyler Weiss, Julie Christeas, Remy Auberjonois, Kate Nowlin
Executive producer: G. Mac Brown Director of photography: Radium Cheung
Production designer: Cassia Maher
Costume designer: Camille Benda
Editor: Jeremy L. Kotin
Casting directors: Kerry Barden, Paul Schnee