MovieChat Forums > Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016) Discussion > Billy Lynn's life after his Halftime Wal...

Billy Lynn's life after his Halftime Walk

posted 9 years ago by nicdcarter
10 replies | jump to latest

It is fine to watch the movie and to read the book but let's at least examine what life would be like if this movie was real...

Billy Lynn's magical journey actually begins when he has to adapt to the real world after being in combat. This list may or may not be something Billy Lynn has to deal with and ultimately have no control over concerning the aspects of his life.

1. Explosions/fireworks/loud noises cause Billy's mind to enter "fight or flight" mode. The brain automatically triggers this response and Billy will experience panic or anger immediately.
2. Because Billy's brain is a damaged from experiencing explosions and weapon fire, Billy isn't able to fully communicate verbally to other's around him and random panic attacks may occur for random reasons. Because of this, he has difficulty maintaining a job even with providing his job with legal documentation stating his disability. His supervisors and coworkers think he's "weird".
3. Doctor appointments! Billy will have possibly two or three doctor appointments a month. Hopefully Billy can take off work for the hour to two hours to attend them all! Billy doesn't get to choose the time of his appointments either. I'm sure Billy's job will understand! He is a hero after all!
4. Billy also get's to enjoy night terrors. Spooky ghosts that attack you in the night at any given time. Billy never gets tired of waking up in panic because someone is screaming to discover it was himself all along! Hopefully he will be well rested for work!
5. Billy also get's to explain his disability to other's! Even if he doesn't want to remember the events he still gets to explain everything in detail! Billy's girlfriends will love his stories about night terrors, panic attacks, and his PTSD! Telling someone you have PTSD doesn't automatically make people think you are a basket case at all! Don't forget to explain all the medicine you are taking to your girlfriend's and family! I'm sure they will understand!

The truth isn't pretty and at least now people will realize why so many military veterans are homeless and honestly, don't want anything to do with the outside world. Military Veterans want to be involved in the world but the world does not want to be involved with them.

[–] syafiqjabar 9 years ago

I think it's worse than that. In the book and movie he was immediately dumped back onto the battlefield after his journey across America.

[–] leishayoung 8 years ago

I think that's perhaps the point of the film, that soldiers in America are given celebrity status and hero-worship as opposed to what they really need to adjust to civilian life. That US soldiers are props for political and cultural propaganda, but are generally left to their own devices when they return from the war zone, left to try and piece their lives back together and deal with the physical and mental scars they are now burdoned with; and no amount of hollow celebrity or hero-worship can make up for that.

I'm not American, but I remember visiting Sea World in San Diego, and it came over the loud speaker as we were preparing to watch a show requesting that any veterans in the audience please stand and be recognised, and the rest of the audience had to 'very awkwardly' clap them - what choice do you have in that moment? What choice do THEY have? They HAVE to stand and we HAVE to clap.

All I could think was, none of these vets want this, they are just having a nice family day with their wives and kids, and are forced to stand for some hollow hero-worship and have been dragged back to being a soldier again, when perhaps today they just want to be a person, and not be reminded of war when they are just trying to enjoy themselves. I can imagine that there are many service people who do not stand when these 'cheap' and 'empty' platitudes are offered, and who can blame them?

[–] garretto 8 years ago

I am a veteran of Vietnam. When veterans are asked to stand, it is my choice to stand or not. I am never forced to stand. If I did not, who would know?

[–] leishayoung 8 years ago

Oh sure, and please don't think I'm suggesting that the appreciation is not deserved. I was suggesting that vets actually deserve better than empty celebrity and hero-worship, they deserve to be treated with more respect, and their conditions, more seriously.

I imagine war is a very personal experience and every service person experiences it differently and handles the scars in their own way, and the system should be set up to ensure that soldiers have diversity of care when they return, and are heavily involved in directing their own recovery. In other words, people should be listening, not dictating the recovery process.

There should be priority funding in every budget ever delivered, ensuring that vets have all of their medical and psychological needs supported, and programs funded to assist them to transition back into civilian life; and it should be self-determining, that is, driven by fellow vets who have had first-hand experience of the war zone and the process of reintegrating back into civilian life. And the care should be available to all vets who have experienced active duty, for the rest of their lives, without question.

That is so much more important than empty celebrity and hero-worship, it's truly supporting those who have served their country to live the healthiest, happiest life they can when they return home. It's the least a country can do for returned service people.

For me? The very idea that many vets end up homeless and destitute because of their psychological trauma, and very often the addictions that follow, is completely inexcusable. Those people should have had the support they needed both during and after the war - it's unacceptable, and the hero-worship has done nothing for these people, they needed help; lots of it, and the system has failed them.

Anyway, I'll get off my high-horse now, it just angers me so.

[–] ladyinred-82608 8 years ago

What is an "ex-vet"? If you are a veteran, you are and always will be a veteran.

[–] leishayoung 8 years ago

A mistake is what it is, no need to get upset.

[–] ladyinred-82608 8 years ago

Who said I was upset? I was just asking a question.

[–] optims129 8 years ago

actually they very briefly touched on this in the film.

one of billy's unit members attacks a girl who came up behind and grabbed his shoulder to put him in the direction of the stage as smoke cannons and confetti cannons are going off for destiny's child. another member dives for a safe spot or "cover" both soldiers had to be grabbed by members of their unit and stopped and told their okay.

meanwhile billy is dealing with the loss of his friend staff sgt. shoom

billy's family wants billy out of the military and will do anything to make it happen even get his sisters psych doctor involved for ptsd diagnosis which billy shows no signs of having.

[–] leishayoung 8 years ago

I edited the post.

[–] znapper 8 years ago

I disagree with the OP in the sense that he is looking at this from a standpoint of PTSD.

The guys were not necessarily "damaged goods" or struggling with post-war symptoms.
They were pulled out of combat after the incident (and other incidents, judging from the flashbacks) to go on a promotional tour.

They were still in war-mode and battle-stressed, and since they were to be sent back after the tour, they weren't trying to custom themselves to civilian life, that made for some surreal scenes and experiences.

Not every joe with a gun and a uniform gets PTSD, and more often then not, PTSD manifest itself _after_ a soldier has returned to civilian life, usually starts with problems adjusting to the civilian rhythm.

The jumpiness and edginess towards bangs and explosions (something that is an automatic thing after a while in a hot-zone), tend to linger after homecoming and it's when this, and flashbacks don't let go after a while back home, that you potentially have a issue.

The movie depict the contrast between the war mode and civilian mode very well. The oil-fracking dude is a good example on what mode they were in, gun-ho, no-nonsense attitude to a guy trying to have a normal conversion.
It also depict how the civilian society have no idea what goes on inside the head of a soldier in war-mode and how remote "home-life" is, to a war-zone.

Yes, I've been to service abroad, no I am not from the US.