the movie uniquely deal with the mechanism of cop with traumatic experience . true and it be a war pic . yes and it have an additional look what be do to our kid anti war message ( which be drive home in the scene where he finally leave his son barrack and this young and pimply face kid start settle in ) and and yes and it be a murder mystery and but the method in which haggis portray the different behavior the character exhibit while try to deal with extremely stressful and traumatic experience be the main point of the movie . haggis drive the point home with careful camera technique and craft true to life character . i like the way he keep the camera back at the end of the hallway when mrs. deerfield cry into her husband arm after view the mutilate body of her son . he employ a similar method when she break down and start cry on the phone ( mr. deerfield represent i be not gon na sit on the phone and listen to you cry . mrs. deerfield represent then do not ) deakins have the camera up on the stair look directly down on her while she sit hunch over on the floor . it not that haggis be hide these moment from the audience i believe that it be more of a commentary on our disconnection from our own emotion during these moment . additionally and haggis have the actor restrain themselves during the height of when one expect them to indicate the most suffering and when the camera be close enough to expose it and i. e. mr. deerfield see his mutilated son for the first time and also towards the end when he realize that his own rigid personality alienate his son from himself and cpl . pen almost robotic and non remorseful confession of murder spc . deerfield which be a phenomenal performance be two good example . you could see the mountain of emotion be suppress behind his cold exterior . his confession be so level that it be hard for me to accept the fact that he have stab pfc . deerfield over 42 time and dismember his body and then set fire to it . but this be exactly the point haggis be try to make this disconnection from reality while death a a video game with no consequence ( react or die . react or die . ) by the way and i think tommy lee jones do an amazing job as well . and that an understatement . further exposés on the aspect of cop include the side story of the soldier who first hold down his doberman in the tub until it drown and subsequently repeat that action with his wife instead . spc . bonner hang himself for his involvement in the murder of deerfield . pvt . ortiez full denial of the fact that their squad run over an iraqi child ( that wasn not no kid . that be a dog . as far a i be concern and that be a dog . i do not know what that picture be . ) . more importantly and spc . deerfield own method of cop serve to act a the catalyst for the plot . the one moment he have ( and the only moment in the movie where tear be actually show fall ) where he try to reach out to his father ( dad and something happen . can you get me out of here . ) and he get snubbed . so his ability to cope manifest itself into destructive behavior represent do drug and bad mouth the stripper and torture the haji militant and pick fight with his comrade ultimately lead to his demise . all of these character have their demon to deal with . the point of the movie be how to deal with those monster . the title and itself and act a a metaphor to that exact question . the valley of elah where david take his stand against goliath be where all the character of this movie stand in the shadow of their own goliath . some fought ( mrs. deerfield and det . sander ) and some stick their head in the sand ( ortiez and mr. deerfield ) and and some run away ( pen and bonner ) . much like the tagline state represent sometimes find the truth be easy than face it . i also think the movie be unique in the angle it take on war represent it psychological impact . exclude such crappy movie like and iron eagle and flight of the intruder and good war movie have more than an accomplish an objective plot type in mind . save private ryan and although base entirely around an objective and use the multitude of horror the character encounter to highlight their method of deal with it . i would say this movie be more along the line of deer hunter or jarhead where what you see in war play second fiddle to how you deal with what you see in war . the only objection i have to the movie ( a very moderate one ) be originate by my girlfriend and who serve in iraq i hadn not think about it until she bring it up . true and the movie be a very small slice of life take on our involvement in iraq ( grant and ptsd be a major aspect of this war but there be many other facet a well ) and so it not entirely unjustified to have all the soldier of this movie be so feed up from their wartime experience . however and it would have be nice to see at least one soldier try to cope with his demon in a more constructive way be it counsel or in some other non destructive method . when i visit my girlfriend in germany and during her leave and i come across pamphlet and brochure and and television commercial ( on the arm service network ) that encourage infantry men and woman to seek counseling in help deal with ptsd and acclimate to life in the state again and return to their family and and so forth . nevertheless and personally and i do not feel that this be too critical of a point to make haggis be try to illustrate a specific notion of the effect of war and shouldn not have to cater to any of the exception to the rule .