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‘The Damned’ brings the Civil War to intimate life, obliquely and mesmerizingly

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How much can you strip away from the war film and still have a war film?

The question stimulates the intrigue surrounding “The Damned,” a new film by Roberto Minervini, an Italian-born director who’s spent the past 25 years residing in America. His work often captures our cultural undercurrents of concern, focusing on marginalized and discontented individuals, typically through documentaries.

In “The Damned,” Minervini delves into conventional storytelling for the first time, yet this drama echoes themes prevalent in his previous works. Rather than focusing on specific events, he crafts an atmosphere rich in setting, period, and above all, emotional state. His latest work immerses viewers in the heart of the Civil War, yet it’s not the battlefield we find, but rather, the same lost souls and lingering doubts that have always been his subject matter. This is a war film devoid of much combat, yet it underscores a conflict that remains unresolved today.

In “The Damned,” Minervini’s realistic and observant approach is evident right from the start, with the opening scene focusing on a group of wolves methodically devouring a carcass. The shots linger, creating a sense of unease – how much longer will we watch? – before introducing us to our unnamed characters, a band of volunteer soldiers from the U.S. Army, stationed out west during the winter of 1862.

The details of their mission are just as enigmatic as the names of these men, making us wonder as we observe them perform routine military tasks. They pitch tents, play cards, and practice shooting. Could they symbolize the cunning wolves from the movie’s start, or perhaps the hunted prey? This is what remains unclear.

Describing “The Damned” as an anti-war film might oversimplify its true nature, as it appears more like a collection of casual incidents with minimal action. In his latest nonfiction works, such as “The Other Side” and “What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?,” director Minervini collaborated with his subjects to offer raw insights into everyday lives, often using pre-planned scenarios. Similarly, while Minervini is listed as the screenwriter for “The Damned,” this film seems to have been created through a close collaboration with the cast, who draw upon aspects of their real lives to portray their characters, with scenes evolving from a loosely sketched narrative.

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In a quiet, contemplative setting where characters slowly appear against the rugged backdrop of Montana’s wilderness, similar to windswept trees or eroded rocks, the character known as the Sergeant (Tim Carlson, featured in Minervini’s 2013 documentary “Stop the Pounding Heart”) initially seems to be in charge. However, as the landscape transitions from bare to snow-covered over an undisclosed duration, it becomes increasingly clear that no superior is truly needed. The minimalist score by Carlos Alfonso Corral, who also serves as the film’s cinematographer, subtly suggests a primal threat lurking beyond the horizon. Yet, true peril seldom materializes. Instead, these men grapple with their own thoughts and emotions, sharing raw, introspective reflections on faith, war, and manhood that are so simple they lack the depth of folk poetry. These soldiers are ordinary, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, just like their mission.

Minervini deliberately steers clear of typical anti-war film elements such as lengthy speeches or heavy symbolism. Yet, surprisingly, he incorporates one conventional aspect – a battle scene, around the 88-minute mark. However, “The Damned” refuses to adhere to traditional narrative structure, creating an intentionally chaotic sequence where soldiers are suddenly ambushed. Characters scatter in all directions, firing wildly as the camera chases them, attempting to maintain their presence on screen. The enemy or perhaps some buffalo, the film’s shallow focus keeps us focused solely on our troops. Everything else remains blurry and unsettled in the background, a perpetual middle distance that symbolizes the characters’ spiritual limbo.

Minervini’s straightforward style has its constraints, yet it brings life to his documentaries through unexpected encounters with subjects. However, “The Damned” seems somewhat predictable, as if the outcomes were set rather than discovered naturally. Despite this, the themes he explored in previous films are still relevant here. “The Other Side,” a 2015 film about racist drug addicts and armed militia groups in rural Louisiana, is a stark warning of our current MAGA era, while “What You Gonna Do” from 2018 foreshadows the Black Lives Matter movement.

As a devoted admirer, I’m thrilled to delve into this groundbreaking film journey, where our visionary director ventures into America’s historical depths, subtly highlighting economic disparities, unnecessary violence, and repressed masculinity that would haunt the nation for the following 160 years. The Civil War may have ended, but the country’s rifts persist, those fundamental tensions left unresolved and lingering like a nagging itch.

Instead of viewing “The Damned” solely as an anti-war film, contemplate it as the origin tale for Minervini’s insightful, subtle examination of a nation that remains in a state of internal conflict.

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2025-06-19 21:01

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