Warfare (15)

Alex Garland’s heart-pounding exploration of the brutal, unvarnished truths of combat in the Iraq War, played out in real time.

Based on first-hand reports of an actual event in November 2006, the story follows a team of Navy SEALs led by Erik (Will Poulter) as they occupy a house in Ramadi for surveillance. After herding the local family into a room, tensions escalate when insurgents gather nearby. A grenade attack injures sniper Elliott (Joe Jarvis), prompting them to radio for backup. As more explosions erupt, the soldiers, now disoriented and wounded, struggle to survive until reinforcements arrive.

It's an utterly engulfing experience. You can vividly feel each man's yearning to get out of this house. With an unparalleled wealth of detail drawn from real soldiers' accounts, the film combines authenticity with a powerful thematic impact. Performances have a documentary feel, balancing machismo with more complex emotional openness and capture fleeting moments of humour, humanity and quiet heroism. The way their story is recounted without editorialising is remarkable.

Warfare is not just a film you watch, it’s an experience that lingers. It doesn’t just show war, it makes us feel it.