Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

This Is Not a War Story

Play trailer 1:13 Poster for This Is Not a War Story 2021 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Timothy Reyes hustles through the NYC subway system. Oblivious passers-by don't notice he is popping pills, fading, killing himself. Discovered dead on an empty train, no one knows him to be a combat veteran. His mentor, Will LaRue blames himself and wrestles with the guilt, and a resurgence of his own demons from war. His refuge: a multi-generational community of artist veterans, who make handmade paper out of military uniforms. Shredding them, pulverizing them -- uniforms are reconstituted into paper, onto which the veterans express their rage, humor, memories, and hopes, in the form of art and poetry. Into this community arrives Isabelle -- a veteran recently returned home, only to find home more alienating and hostile than being at war. Her brother and estranged mother can't fathom or accept her identity as a Marine. Will and Isabelle forge a tenuous alliance in this community of mostly white male veterans, and Isabelle's increasing fixation on Will as some kind of savior or teacher digs directly against his private struggle to accept Timothy's suicide and intensifies his self-blame for failing to save him. The confrontations and the bond between Will and Isabelle propel them into a deeper questioning of themselves, and into what it means, finally, to want to live.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

This Is Not a War Story

This Is Not a War Story

What to Know

Critics Consensus

This Is Not a War Story takes a sobering yet uplifting look at life after combat -- and life-altering friendship in unexpected places.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Peter Sobczynski RogerEbert.com 11/12/2021
3/4
An ambitious and thoughtful attempt to deal with veterans coming to terms with what they have seen and done. Go to Full Review Beatrice Loayza New York Times 11/04/2021
A naturalistic, chat-heavy narrative that captures the difficulties wrought by the unimaginable trauma individuals face as they attempt to forge connections and find peace after war. Go to Full Review Lauren Humphries-Brooks Citizen Dame 11/22/2021
Though This is Not a War Story deals with trauma, there is also an underlying hope to it-that the characters it depicts might be OK, that they can learn to connect to each other, that they cannot banish their trauma, but might be able to live with it. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 11/10/2021
4/5
...a sobering piece that rewards a careful viewing; the heroism portrayed here is finding a way to get through the day... Go to Full Review Bill Arceneaux Moviegoing with Bill 11/01/2021
5/5
With graceful tact, technical prowess, and a proudly assertive voice, "This Is Not a War Story" mashes real people and real worlds with loud cinematic bravado. Go to Full Review Dan Jardine Cinemania 08/03/2021
Writer/director/star Talia Lugacy has crafted a thoroughly compelling examination of the challenges faced by veterans returning to civilian life. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
This Is Not a War Story

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Talia Lugacy

Director

Sam Adegoke

Will LaRue

Frances Fisher

Dora Casale

Danny Ramirez

Timothy Reyes

Holly Horner

Woman on Train

P.J. Boudousqué

Dino Casale

More Like This

View All
Perfect Days 96% 93% Perfect Days Watchlist TRAILER for Perfect Days Women Talking 90% 80% Women Talking Watchlist TRAILER for Women Talking Sing Sing 97% 98% Sing Sing Watchlist TRAILER for Sing Sing The Human Surge 3 94% % The Human Surge 3 Watchlist Origin 82% 97% Origin Watchlist TRAILER for Origin Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

This Is Not a War Story

This Is Not a War Story: Trailer 1 This Is Not a War Story: Trailer 1 1:13 View more videos
View All

This Is Not a War Story

This Is Not a War Story (2021) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Timothy Reyes hustles through the NYC subway system. Oblivious passers-by don't notice he is popping pills, fading, killing himself. Discovered dead on an empty train, no one knows him to be a combat veteran. His mentor, Will LaRue blames himself and wrestles with the guilt, and a resurgence of his own demons from war. His refuge: a multi-generational community of artist veterans, who make handmade paper out of military uniforms. Shredding them, pulverizing them -- uniforms are reconstituted into paper, onto which the veterans express their rage, humor, memories, and hopes, in the form of art and poetry. Into this community arrives Isabelle -- a veteran recently returned home, only to find home more alienating and hostile than being at war. Her brother and estranged mother can't fathom or accept her identity as a Marine. Will and Isabelle forge a tenuous alliance in this community of mostly white male veterans, and Isabelle's increasing fixation on Will as some kind of savior or teacher digs directly against his private struggle to accept Timothy's suicide and intensifies his self-blame for failing to save him. The confrontations and the bond between Will and Isabelle propel them into a deeper questioning of themselves, and into what it means, finally, to want to live.
Director
Talia Lugacy
Producer
Noah Lang, Talia Lugacy, Julian West
Screenwriter
Talia Lugacy
Production Co
Witchcraft Motion Picture Company , The Acoustic Film Company
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital