A soldier is drawn into a war-game with the neighborhood kids. Then he loses control. | Gamechanger
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Gamechanger is used with permission from Christian van Duuren and BIND. Learn more at and .
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Thirty-year-old soldier Max is on his way to another tour of duty when he notices two local children playing a game of war with toy guns. He gets caught up in their game, playing alongside the kids as they venture into the woods surrounding their neighborhood.
But as Max loses his grip on his reality, the game of pretend suddenly feels altogether too real — and the two young boys lose their innocence.
Director Christian van Duuren has crafted a powerful exploration of the effects that warfare has on the psyche, combining excellent camerawork and finely calibrated performances to delve deep into one man’s brief descent into darkness.
The film begins on a light enough note, as a grown man joins a game played by two young boys. It seems innocent, though small moments of dissonance offer some sense of underlying unease. But as the film progresses, it transitions into something altogether taut, dark and tense, and the tonal shift is absolutely seamless.
The hand-held camera seems edgier and more nervous, and the superlative sound design captures the memories haunting Max effectively, evoking the harshness of the battlefield in the middle of a quiet, tranquil wooded area.
The performances are subtle and excellent all around, and both adult and children find perfectly specific moments to communicate their fear — and the realization that this game is not just child’s play anymore, but something much darker and complicated.
“Gamechanger” is a haunting and tense portrayal of the very human cost of warfare, whose images and emotional moments will linger with viewers well after viewing — much like the invisible scars than many in the military struggle with, long after their battlefield days are over.
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A soldier is drawn into a war-game with the neighborhood kids. Then he loses control. | Gamechanger
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So he just left him there?
Remeber kids. When a man has PTSD always ask him how to kill your brother in a game😁
(Its a joke)
The main cause for veteran suicide that I have seen, has been the feeling of a lack of belonging – and being treated like you're a broken thing because you served.
The Kid Is Literally Stuck In The Woods
what happened to the other kid
Having a dad with ptsd sorta felt dis one.
Hey its dutch
Or just learn the tactics yourself to avoid someone with PTSD having a really bad day
this is basically vietnam war
stuff just went from 0 to 100 pretty fast
He's like my dad
When your friends play COD but you play operation flashpoint
What do you mean he loses control? Oh no. He gonna murder the child.
Wow this one was heavy bro, war is not good for anything, don't know what else to say 😕
what language were they speaking? I'm possibly Bosnian/Croatian since this kinda feels like the guy was in the Yugoslav war.
what is the name of that song that plays in the beginning that was fire
Lmao
Uuuh
Cool
This film was so good it should get a reward
what happened to the dog
Its sad cuz thats what war does to most soldiers they relive their horrific times during warfare and have trouble coping n adapting to the world around them
7000th comment where are my cookies😋
ENEMY AC130 ABOVE
Did he just leave that kid in the forest
Wtf
He just left the kid there?!?
I finally understood the story, the guy has ptsd
I feel for the guy though he probs got PTSD and is traumatized
This is a real thing that can trigger in most vets who have killed and watched friends die on the field. It's scary if you are alone and having to deal with this. Most VA office won't help you. It's a sad truth.
This is so sad this soldier has PTSD once you have that it can never go away I have PTSD but it's from something else not war I can relate to these things.
PTBS?
I feel so bad for the kids
Powerful
looks like someone is in need of a milsim west event. he would kick ass
For anyone who did not know, they are speaking dutch. (I know because im dutch)
This was just funny I don't know why, I think it might have been the soldier actor completely overacting
Boy, that war thing sure looks glorious.
No one noticed he forgot about the dog in the car
8:45 really brought me out of the immersion. bad render.
The transition between his playing attitude and his soldier attitude is great
me when
Legends say the kid is still tied up in the woods
Why did he leave him tied up and gagged in the forest
the dog in the back:👁👄👁
grandpa when he sees a tree
Veitnan flash backs
People are probably gonna use this as an example of toxic masculinity.
PTSD
grandpa when he sees a battlefield 5 game play