In Our Name

Wednesday, September 18, 2013 – 7:30pm
Great Britain 2010. Director: Brian Welsh
Cast: Joanne Froggatt, Mel Raido, Chloe Jayne Wilkinson, Andrew Knott, Janine Leigh

A stellar performance from Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) anchors In Our Name, the first British film to deal with the issue of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the perspective of a female soldier. Froggatt plays Suzy, a young private in the British Army recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and struggling to readapt to civilian life in small-town England. Nine-year-old daughter Cass (Chloe Jayne Wilkinson), angry at her mother’s prolonged absence, won’t even speak to her; and volatile husband Mark (Mel Raido), also a solider, seems to think that all problems can be solved in the bedroom. Troubled by flashbacks and haunted by the responsibility she feels for the death of an Iraqi girl the same age as her daughter, Suzy becomes increasingly unhinged. Refusing any help for fear it might endanger a promised promotion, and now convinced that her daughter is in imminent danger, Suzy’s war of the mind threatens to overwhelm them all. Best Feature, Montreal World Film Festival. Most Promising Newcomer (Froggatt), British Independent Film Awards. “Anchored by Froggatt’s powerful performance, this is stark social realism steeped in honesty and humanity” (Tom Dawson, TotalFilm.com). Colour, HDCAM. 90 mins. 

Post-screening discussion with Marvin Westwood, PhD, Professor, Department of Counselling Psychology and Special Education, UBC. Dr. Westwood runs the Veterans Transition Program at UBC, a group-based therapeutic program (the only one of its kind in Canada) that assists former members of the Canadian military in their transition back to civilian life.