Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Something Needs to Change
Invisible Injuries
One Step Forward, Three Steps Back
Group Therapy
When the Light Enters
We have seen a wide range of movies that narrate war trauma as well as the plight of military soldiers who have put their lives on the line to protect the world. This trauma is usually presented in media with a censored lens which is why documentaries involving military vets often tend to be more brazen and show the brutal reality of war.
Never one to miss a trick, Netflix’s latest five-part documentary, Heart of Invictus, presents a part of this reality that often goes unnoticed. The show follows the Invictus Games, an initiative funded by the Royal Heir, Prince Harry, and narrates the journey of six army veterans from different parts of the world who have suffered immense losses while serving their respective nation. The show follows these army veterans and more who have suffered physical injuries while in the army.
The Invictus Games first started in 2014 after Prince Harry, founded it after his 2013 visit to the Warrior Games in the United States. The games are held in various countries for the servicemen and women as well as veterans who are wounded, injured and sick. Over the five episodes, we see various veterans narrate their stories.
We have Ukrainian veteran, Yuliia Paievska; UK veteran Tom Falwell; USA veteran Gabriel “Gabe” George; South Korean veteran Na Hyeong-yoon; Danish veteran Kasper Holm Henriksen and Canadian Veteran, Darrell Ling.
These soldiers recall their time in the army and narrate the stories behind their mental and physical injuries. Prince Harry, as well as other members of the organising committee of the Invictus Games, share their experiences hosting the games.
A large chunk of the docuseries follows the veterans though, as they share their lived experiences and reveal the depth of their physical and mental trauma. This part of the documentary is an absolute tear-jerker and will make the viewer see the reality of war.
The show was filmed a while before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and details the subsequent capture of Yuliia Paievska who was taken hostage by the Russian soldiers after she managed to leak bodycam footage she filmed in the middle of the rescue operations.
The show is an inspirational piece of work and will make you see that war does a lot more damage than what we see. However, the heart of the show is to see where these veterans have come despite their physical and mental injuries. The heart of the show lies with these veterans and their traumas/struggles, narrated brilliantly through the medium of Heart of Invictus.
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Verdict - 8/10
8/10