Directed by Francesco Lucente, Badland begins with a voiceover that indicates that the protagonist Jerry (played by Jamie Draven) has been dishonorably discharged from the Marines after being court-martialed. Today, he has a job, a spouse Nora (played by Vinessa Shaw), and three small children. They live in an abandoned trailer in the Rockies. Hassled at work and at home, he explodes into rage one day on discovering that Nora has been squirreling away hundreds of dollars from his paychecks while failing to pay needed bills. He shoots her and two sons dead, spares his daughter Celina (played by Grace Fulton), and he becomes a fugitive, pursued by a national manhunt, but lands a job in another small settlement in the Rockies. Much of the background is explained in telecasts, where his role in the 2004 Falluja Massacre is likened to scale of the 1968 My Lai Massacre of more than 200 civilians. One day Max (played by Joe Morton) returns to town after 18 months in Najaf, but he is an alcoholic. Both opine that their presence in Iraq served no purpose. They are afflicted by posttraumatic stress, and Celina as well is in denial about the death of her mom and brothers. The noir film cannot end happily, though attractive Oli (played by Chandra West) offers Jerry a new job and herself as a bedmate, giving him at least some choice about his future. MH
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