“Brothers After War” is a documentary film directed by Jake Radenmacher in partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation. Brothers After War debuted in 140 movie theatres nationwide. I strongly recommend both Veterans and civilians see this film.
Between 2005-2007, Jake risked everything, including his life, to tell the story of his brothers serving Iraq. He embedded with multiple units, filmed numerous combat engagements, and interviewed more than forty combat Veterans in the warzone. The result was the award winning “Brothers at War” documentary.
In “Brothers After War” Jake reconnects with some of the soldiers and Marines featured in his first film. It is a poignant, often sad and something humorous look at their lives after war. An underlying theme of the film is the idea that sometimes one of the hardest parts of being a warrior is returning home.
Jake says, “I started Brothers After War broken.” From 2016-2018 he had a two-year international custody battle. In a meeting with Sinise, Gary told him “Jake, sometimes I think the way to heal a broken heart is to help someone else.”
Jake’s two brothers are central characters in both films. Between them, his brothers deployed a total of sixteen times. He also included a number of spouses in both films and considers it a unique aspect of the production.
After producing Brothers At War, Jake and a team began conducting resiliency workshops sponsored by the Gary Sinise Foundation. Jake and a team of three Veteran trainers visit various communities to use the film as a catalyst to open discussion with Veterans. If you would like to have them visit your community, visit their website to schedule an event.
TAKEAWAY: After seeing the film, one of the Veterans told Jake “Brothers After War made me feel like I wasn’t alone, that I’m not broken, that it’s okay to be vulnerable. It gave me hope for my future.”
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