Armadillo

"You can count on some action; I promise it'll be interesting." This is music to the ears of Danish soldier Mads. The prevailing image of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is one of mind-numbing monotony and excruciating boredom. So when Mads is sent out for the first time, he is hoping for some excitement and adventure. To him, war is a children's book come alive. Stationed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, Mads and his comrades are assigned to guard the square kilometer around the Armadillo military base. The Taliban is making advances in the area and gaining increasing support among the local population. This heightens the dangers of the energy-sapping patrols over the barren and dusty sand plains. We follow the Danish army unit from very close by with jolting, tilting, swirling cameras. It feels like a video game, as if we are right there in the middle of the action. But when the shooting starts, it becomes all too clear that this is no game. It is a thrill that the soldiers greet as a welcome shot of adrenalin, one that is far more powerful than what they get from the shooting games on their computers. The film crew was embedded in Armadillo for six months, and they risked their own lives following the young soldiers around.