In this podcast, listen as Jake Rademacher, director of Brothers at War, discusses the challenges and overall experience of filming his documentary of his brothers at war in Iraq.

The global war on terror has seen multiple deployments for multiple combatant commands. Many families have seen their loved ones off multiple times, and Jake Rademacher began to wonder what exactly his two brothers who were in the Army were experiencing. Because of this, Rademacher decided to direct Brothers at War (2009).

As a hopeful for the military himself, Rademacher was disappointed when he was disqualified for medial reasons. His two brothers, however, stepped up and committed themselves to the Army at a time of war. As their deployments became more numerous with the famed American 82nd Airborne Division, Rademacher took it upon himself to raise the appropriate amount of money in order to film and document the experiences of both his brothers and others serving in Iraq.

The military experience was new to Rademacher, but he quickly adjusted to the challenges of both being in a combat environment and the brutal heat of Iraq. The relationship between the Rademacher brothers takes a dramatic shift as the two warfighters are reunited with their civilian brother, who, though bearing a camera and not a rifle, experiences the terrors of combat and shares the struggles of war.

Brothers at War was co-produced by Gary Sinise and has received wide spread support across military communities in the United States. Featured in cities such as New York and Los Angeles, the film’s grassroots advertising and ticket campaign has grown exponentially since its release.

Brothers at War is one of the most unique films of the year, mainly because the depictions of war are as real as it gets.