Iraq war films : defining a subgenre

Abstract

This thesis analyzes a new subgenre of war films, concentrating on particular case of Iraq War films. Treating the war film genre within the notion of a historical event, war is here understood as a setting rather than a direct battlefield experience. Consequently, this thesis recognizes the subgenre of Iraq War films as encapsulating the experiences from both the warzone and homefront. The focus here is thus not only limited to the soldiers at the front, but also to their families, overseeing the trauma as happening in the U.S. While trying to distinguish the conventions of this new subgenre, this dissertation also focuses on the historical context of the war, comparing the War on Terror’s context and representations to those of the World War II and Vietnam War. Ultimately, defining Iraq War films is set on the axis of the previous war films’ conventions, the new technological nature of warfare, and an intimate link between the postmodern influence that affects both narrative and visual style of Iraq War films.