In their last film, Casting By, producer Ilan Arboleda (a Miami native) and director Tom Donahue championed the underappreciated role of Hollywood casting directors. With Thank You For Your Service, they shift their lens to a story about the American military—while exhibiting lessons well learned about casting, choosing the most vivid real-life characters to put on screen.

The film focuses on four Iraq War veterans who, like thousands of others, are struggling with PTSD. The filmmakers gain interviews with top-ranking leaders, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, General David Petraeus and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who offer frank perspectives. Reviewing the film at its world premiere at DOC NYC, the Village Voice writes that “Donahue’s footage—wrenching testimonials from soldiers, spouses, and the highest of government and military muckety-mucks—tells gripping stories rather than just serving the argument.”

While many people would like to ignore the problems of the health system faced by vets, these problems demand reckoning. This admirable film is a starting place toward hope and change. – Thom Powers