In The Valley Of Elah

War veteran Hank Deerfield, gets a phone call from the military saying that his son Mike, who only recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, has gone AWOL (Absent Without Leave). He travels to the military base to see if he can find out of his son's disappearance. Hank is a retired military investigator and is frustrated by both the military and the civilian police's apparent lack of interest in the case. However, Detective Emily Sanders decides to help him out and figure out what really happened to his son. Together they complete the missing pieces, and get the truth about the events that led to Mike's disappearance. All in all, this is a story of how war dehumanizes individuals to the point where the taking of a life makes no sense and where there are no rules.

Oscar nominee Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon star in this excellent film from 2007. It is directed by the amazing writer Paul Haggis, who also made the film "Crash". The story is based on actual events, which makes it even more powerful. The film’s title refers to the Bible, and the valley where the battle between David and Goliath is said to have taken place.

I've seen this movie loads of times and I think it is a great movie which focus on some important issues concering war and the effects it inflicts on a person. It also reflects on how the truth is sometimes difficult to face, because it can be brutal, and you don't want to believe it even though the facts are right in front of you. I like the ending of the movie, where Hank is raising the flag upside down, which is ment to be a message on how the country is in need of help.

An American Visitor In Class

Last week, in class, we got a visitor; Lee Ann Potter from America. She had recently moved from America, after taking a leave of absence from her job in Washington D.C, so that she could visit students here in Norway and have lectures. She told us about the US system of government and some stories of her own, which was truly interesting. One of the topics she talked about was the constitution. She had also brought fascinating hand-outs to look at. She even showed us a film clip from the 1970’s which was made by the network channel ABC to learn kids about the government and the constitution. I found this lesson very interesting and she was a great speaker and lecturer, which helped me to understand the US system of government a little bit better. I think we should have more foreign lecturers in class because it is very educational.

Here is the clip from the  Schoolhouse Rock program about the Preamble