Tajana Prka has written (with Tarique Qayumi and Alan De la Rosa), produced, directed and stars in one of the more desperately moving films of recent years. While many writers attempt to outdo each other with fantasies of both the fairytale past, the comic book genre, or the terrifying future that awaits us, Tajana instead takes on a story that happens around us daily – the problem of how war affects soldiers. It is not only thought provoking and intensely disturbing, but it is also one of the more moving portrayals of how being deployed to the current collection of wars in the Middle East affects female soldiers as profoundly as the more frequently discussed male counterparts and alters their lives severely.
Attempting to summarize the plot would be to do the viewer an injustice: better to experience this film rather than read reviews about it. Except to say that the film is exceptionally worthy of your attention. Generally speaking the plot revolves around the return of Mattie Ridgeway (Tajana Prka) from Afghanistan, flat affect from PTSD, not relating to her husband Justin (James O'Shea) who was also deployed but not in the same front line activity as Mattie and thus understands her very little – as disconnected from Justin as she is form her daughter. Unable to step away from the trauma of Afghanistan Mattie becomes obsessed with investigating an Afghan person of interest (Bobby Naderi) rumors and other sources suggest that he is living in the same town. The extremes of her reaction and behavior mirror the fractures created by PTSD and rarely has it been developed so well in a film.
Ringing with reality and agony, TARGETING is one of the better films to explore just how severe a problem PTSD is and why we must be aware of the 'other world' in which these victims live – making certain we are supportive and understanding. Tajana Prka deserves some awards for this film, not only for an Indie film, but also form mental health foundations for bringing this problem to the public's attention. See it!
