After first watching Hearts and Minds I was totally shocked! The extreme inhumanness of the entire Vietnam war was just very difficult to watch for me, or anyone really it seems. Although I was well aware that many brutal, untold acts are performed in war, the degree that the American soldiers took this to was astounding. Killing someone alone is difficult but these soldiers obviously went to far. The main argument in this film is how inhumane Americans were during such a radical time in our history, but perhaps the underlying message is that Americans unknowingly look down upon every other minority country. Peter Davis, the director, purposefully using formal and informal shots to craft his argument and make it appear as credible. With some many radical, anti-Vietnam "hippies', Davis had to make sure that he appeared as legitimate as possible to really get his message to mainstream America.
Hands down, the most intense seen for me was watching the AVN soldier's burial with his wife and family bitterly mourning his death. Davis juxtaposes this with General Westmoreland's stating that "he Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as does a Westerner. Life is plentiful. Life is cheap in the Orient". This was so frustrating to me as a viewer. How could he say such a completely false statement with such large implications like this?! Not only was is false, but it was extremely cruel to think that this idea is even possible. I did realize how vital this was for the film. Davis's techniques really place a ton of the light on the subjects, taking away from his own. This is what really allows for his credibility as a documentarian to take hold.
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