What’s the effect of four deployments on a soldier? Susan Cohn Rockefeller’s new documentary Striking a Chord is a window on that world, where troops maneuver between constant threat and crushing boredom. It’s also a look at how music can provide some relief and a return, however brief, to normalcy.
The spine of the 40-minute documentary is singer-songwriter Nell Bryden’s tour of American bases in Iraq. As Bryden travels through Iraq, we see firsthand the joy and relief the music brings the troops serving there.
Cohn Rockefeller says, “I want those of us who aren't able to travel to Iraq to have a better idea of what troops must cope with. Two, three, four or more deployments. The need to be vigilant. Without anything happening for days. Homesickness. It’s extraordinary what we ask of soldiers.”
Nell Bryden‘s talent and energy sizzle on the screen. Her alt-country songs reach right into the audience’s hearts. And her rousing cover of “We Are Family” has soldiers dancing in the aisles. Long lines of soldiers waiting to talk with Bryden and the band after each performance testify to the depth to which the soldiers have been moved.
As Bryden tours Iraq, we encounter other engaging characters. Like Lt. Colonel Scott Rainey, manager of Armed Forces Entertainment. He hires musicians to perform for the troops and it’s clearly a labor of love. During concerts he doesn’t watch the stage; he watches the faces of the soldiers listening. Charming Danny Roberts, who trains Iraqi firemen. He says, “We learn as much from them as they do from us.” When Roberts sings onstage later, he electrifies the crowd.
The backdrop to the story of Striking a Chord is the *somber reality of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and its devastating and isolating effects. At least 20 percent of soldiers will return from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD. Intercut with uplifting and moving scenes of Nell’s performances and talks with the soldiers are interviews with psychiatrist who speaks to how music addresses stress, promoting relaxation, expression of feelings and promoting healing of invisible battle scars.
Striking a Chord reminds us that when soldiers return home, they need special care and attention; PTSD is a disorder that many veterans are ashamed to speak about. Yet it’s all too common, and, as the film shows, music can provide a way to begin the healing process.
Nell Bryden is a singer/songwriter with six CDs under her belt. Born and raised in New York City, and currently living in London, Bryden has blended blues, country, modern-Dixie and jazz into a songwriting style uniquely her own. Constantly crossing the oceans, she’s played nearly 500 gigs in just over two years, including opening slots with KT Tunstall and the Counting Crows. Bryden is especially popular in the British Isles, and she now makes her home in London. As an independent release, her debut single tracked Top 40 in the Official Irish Charts.
Wants
Seeking World Premiere for Striking a Chord.
Also seeking an international sales agent.
All rights to Striking a Chord available.
