Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen
Armadillo (2011) is an upfront account of growing cynicism and adrenaline addiction for young soldiers at war. Mads and Daniel are on their first mission in Helmand, Afghanistan. Their platoon is stationed in Camp Armadillo, right on the Helmand frontline, fighting tough battles against the Taliban. The soldiers are there to help the Afghan people, but as fighting gets tougher and operations increasingly hairy, Mads, Daniel and their friends become cynical, widening the gap between themselves and the Afghan civilisation. Mistrust and paranoia set in causing alienation and disillusion. Armadillo is a journey into the soldier’s mind and a unique film on the mythological story of man and war, staged in its contemporary version in Afghanistan 'What Metz gives us is an unusually intimate portrait of the cycle of arrival, survival and departure experienced by soldiers on a six-month tour of duty. We witness boredom. We witness the adrenalin rush of combat. And, at one point, we witness a frank discussion about whether the soldiers have stepped over an ethical line or not’ – Time Out
‘You emerge shaken and bothered, which may sound like a reason not to see the movie. It is actually the opposite’ - New York Times
The Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) and the Oxford Programme on the Changing Character of War (CCW) are co-hosting a screening of the film followed by a discussion led by Professor Jennifer Welsh and Professor Hew Strachan.