The Bloody Child

Filmmaking siblings Nina and Tinka Menkes collaborate for this nonlinear psychological study of a traumatized Gulf War veteran inspired by a true life tale originally reported in the Los Angeles Times. As the first hints of pre-dawn sunlight come shimmering over the Mojave Desert, two military policemen on their regular patrol come upon a U.S. Marine and recent Gulf War veteran digging a grave in the arid desert sand. Upon further investigation, the shocked policemen discover the bloodied corpse of the soldier's wife lying prepared for burial in the back seat of the soldier's car. In the hours that follow, the soldier is relentlessly interrogated by military police as authorities await transport for the prisoner. Told in a haunting and semi-surreal fashion, this poetic study of post-traumatic stress offers a disturbing study at the lingering effects of war on soldiers who cannot seem to adjust upon returning to the relative peace of civilian life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi