ABOUT THE FILM
In most depictions of wounded warriors, the women stand stoically in the background. No longer silent, The Weight of Honor gives them a voice, following them as they struggle, triumph, and wonder about the challenges that lie ahead.
The Weight of Honor is the first comprehensive documentary to chronicle the lives of families caring for their catastrophically wounded returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Over the course of five years we follow the arc of what happens when some of America's best and strongest volunteer to protect our nation, but return home physically and emotionally broken and disillusioned. What happens when they return is not only a personal journey but also that of their family caregivers who have no training other than the love for their wounded.
What does it take for a mother to guide her young son through a painful rehabilitation from severe burns and amputation? How does a young child comfort his father who is a shell of himself, fearful of even their own home? Who has the strength to wash the wounds of her catastrophically burned husband when he howls in pain with every drop of water? What responsibility weighs on a young wife who must now care for her war-wounded husband as well as their newborn baby?
Our military does not prepare families for the return of a wounded warrior. The Weight of Honor tells their stories of strength, exhaustion, conflict, and even humor as they chart a course through the unknown.
“For the last five years, I’ve been filming and crafting the story of the devastating effects that caring for a severely wounded veteran can have on caregivers, families and relationships. THE WEIGHT OF HONOR was made to challenge conventional notions of caregivers, and to ignite change.”
— Stephanie Seldin Howard, Filmmaker