Director’s Statement
When I was first approached to make a film about recovery and PTSD, Executive Producer William F. Brandt, Jr. mentioned that two things were particularly important to him: the film should help people who were struggling through trauma, and it should also provide a sense of hope.
While the focus in HERE. IS. BETTER. is on the veteran experience, as we edited the film through this pandemic year, the unspoken counterpoint to the narrative on screen is the universal trauma the world has gone through and how those themes are amplified in the documentary — the loss, the isolation, the stumbling back to normalcy, all impacted by the scars of our collective experience.
The film principally interweaves the stories of 4 veterans — 2 men and 2 women — whose wartime and life experiences couldn’t have been more different. John served in Vietnam as a door gunner; Teresa drove convoys in Iraq; Jason was a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan; Tabitha served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a welder and a member of the ‘Lioness’ program. Their willingness to tell their stories — to be heard for a common purpose — is one of the great gifts of making this film, and I only wish we could have featured all of the remarkable veterans we have met along this journey.
Though John, Teresa, Jason and Tabitha all differ in age, background, and the type of trauma they had been through, there was nonetheless something universal among their shared experiences. They all desired a greater connectedness with family, friends, or others in their communities, but did not know how to get it back. As Teresa says early in the documentary, something was left in the desert, and she didn’t want to go back to find it. It was easier and less complicated just to let it stay there. Putting those pieces back together, the restoration of these lives, is a key pillar of the film: a sense of self had somehow been lost that they so desperately wanted to get back and make whole again, here. I am honored that they put their faith in us as a team to get their stories out in the world.
-Jack Youngelson
Director’s Statement
When I was first approached to make a film about recovery and PTSD, Executive Producer William F. Brandt, Jr. mentioned that two things were particularly important to him: the film should help people who were struggling through trauma, and it should also provide a sense of hope.
While the focus in HERE. IS. BETTER. is on the veteran experience, as we edited the film through this pandemic year, the unspoken counterpoint to the narrative on screen is the universal trauma the world has gone through and how those themes are amplified in the documentary — the loss, the isolation, the stumbling back to normalcy, all impacted by the scars of our collective experience.
The film principally interweaves the stories of 4 veterans — 2 men and 2 women — whose wartime and life experiences couldn’t have been more different. John served in Vietnam as a door gunner; Teresa drove convoys in Iraq; Jason was a military intelligence officer in Afghanistan; Tabitha served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a welder and a member of the ‘Lioness’ program. Their willingness to tell their stories — to be heard for a common purpose — is one of the great gifts of making this film, and I only wish we could have featured all of the remarkable veterans we have met along this journey.
Though John, Teresa, Jason and Tabitha all differ in age, background, and the type of trauma they had been through, there was nonetheless something universal among their shared experiences. They all desired a greater connectedness with family, friends, or others in their communities, but did not know how to get it back. As Teresa says early in the documentary, something was left in the desert, and she didn’t want to go back to find it. It was easier and less complicated just to let it stay there. Putting those pieces back together, the restoration of these lives, is a key pillar of the film: a sense of self had somehow been lost that they so desperately wanted to get back and make whole again, here. I am honored that they put their faith in us as a team to get their stories out in the world.
-Jack Youngelson
Why This story Now?
HERE. IS. BETTER. chronicles the stories of four service men and women, whose grit, smarts, and perseverance are on full display as they allow cameras to witness their most deeply personal, inevitably tense, raw, and honest therapy sessions in real—time. The film seeks to bring understanding to how the human mind responds to trauma, to what a diagnosis of PTSD means, and how PTSD can impact daily life, far removed from a military setting. The film does not seek to be prescriptive, but rather illustrates how the right fit of trauma therapies and other beneficial modalities can transform darkness into light for these veterans who gave so much but came home with little understanding of what happened to them while serving their country.
While veterans can be up to four times more likely to have PTSD than civilians, the root causes of PTSD are wide—ranging. What needs to be understood is that trauma comes in all forms, including the impact of sexual or physical assault, natural disasters, abuse, exposure to violence, serious health issues, or the death of a loved one. Seemingly unexceptional events can adversely affect people in different professions, from frontline medical workers to EMS to grocery store clerks to delivery couriers. This film is meant to help veterans who have experienced trauma, but also to help audiences who may be experiencing the aftermath of any devastating event and have no idea where or how to find a path forward. As the world still grapples with the collective trauma of the pandemic, the need for effective mental health treatment — free from stigma — is more important than ever.
HERE. IS. BETTER. illustrates how the seemingly impossible mission to heal may become possible as John, Teresa, Jason, and Tabitha choose to face each day with the bravery to seek help and the hope of what help can bring.
HERE. IS. BETTER. chronicles the stories of four service men and women, whose grit, smarts, and perseverance are on full display as they allow cameras to witness their most deeply personal, inevitably tense, raw, and honest therapy sessions in real—time. The film seeks to bring understanding to how the human mind responds to trauma, to what a diagnosis of PTSD means, and how PTSD can impact daily life, far removed from a military setting. The film does not seek to be prescriptive, but rather illustrates how the right fit of trauma therapies and other beneficial modalities can transform darkness into light for these veterans who gave so much but came home with little understanding of what happened to them while serving their country.
While veterans can be up to four times more likely to have PTSD than civilians, the root causes of PTSD are wide—ranging. What needs to be understood is that trauma comes in all forms, including the impact of sexual or physical assault, natural disasters, abuse, exposure to violence, serious health issues, or the death of a loved one. Seemingly unexceptional events can adversely affect people in different professions, from frontline medical workers to EMS to grocery store clerks to delivery couriers. This film is meant to help veterans who have experienced trauma, but also to help audiences who may be experiencing the aftermath of any devastating event and have no idea where or how to find a path forward. As the world still grapples with the collective trauma of the pandemic, the need for effective mental health treatment — free from stigma — is more important than ever.
HERE. IS. BETTER. illustrates how the seemingly impossible mission to heal may become possible as John, Teresa, Jason, and Tabitha choose to face each day with the bravery to seek help and the hope of what help can bring.
Production
Jack Youngelson
Sian Edwards-Beal
David Beal
William F. Brandt, Jr.
Chloe Hall
Karen K. H. Sim
Daniel Carter
Kara DioGuardi
Jeremiah Fraites
David Baron
