Although this film is meant to be an antiwar type showing the consequences of warfare at the individual level I saw it more as a medical drama with plots and themes that dealt with ethics and quality of life issues.  Further discussion about this will follow but at this point I will give you the gist of the film. 

It is set during the First World War when a man in his early 20s who is serving with the army takes a devastating hit from a mortar shell in the battlefield.  He losses consciousness so he feels no pain from his injuries but when he comes back to being aware of his existence he is in a world of darkness and silence.  The man can still detect vibrations and feel others touching his skin but except for moving his head he can not communicate with others because his face, ears, and limbs were lost in the explosion.  The doctors tending to him consider the man as being in a vegetated state and staying alive only because the part of the brain that controls the cardiovascular system is still functioning.  Tubes are placed in the body for respiration, food intake, and waste elimination. 

While he is in this state of being he initially thinks he will fully recover but slowly comes to terms with what has occurred.  Concurrently, he thinks back and looks at momentous and mundane events in his life that are priceless memories for him.  Some of the more remarkable flashbacks are to the girl he beds the night before he leaves for the war, his relationship with his father and his subsequent death, and a childhood of modest means but happiness.  The film goes from a cold black and white when in current times to warm color when he thinks about events that have shaped his life.  Although one of the more senior nurses still realizes this is a human being and defies the orders of the doctors to keep the shutters closed in his room at all times so he can feel sunlight there is another younger nurse empathizes with him.  She cries frequently when tending to him and offers him haptic human contact by placing her hands on his body.  Through this she is able to have basic one way communication with him.  You will have to see the film to get the rest of the story.

This is a must see film for many reasons and I am sure a whole book could be written on the themes that comprise the story.  I saw somewhat of a parallel between Johnny Got His Gun (1971) and the Rock Hudson film Seconds (1966).  In Seconds a middle aged man who is unhappy with his life undergoes a surgery to place his mind in a new body so he can live a completely new life as a man in the prime of his life, working as an artist, and having a beautiful woman who is in love with him.  Seconds is very much sci-fi but the idea of the conscious mind and how the conditions it is subject to impact it are shared themes.  Both films are creepy to say the least but Johnny Got His Gun is a chiller because this sort of thing has probably happened to millions of people over time. 

Getting back to the point I opened with, my personal view is that this is more of an ethics film than anything else even if it was not intended to be.  Warfare is blatantly discussed in the film and the idea of the young going to fight other young and die being okay because they have no responsibilities in life and are expendable is presented.  The older people have homes and jobs so they are to keep the home fires burning.  If you read into the plot you can also find that mechanized war is relatively sanitary in how you can fire a shell from far away and kill/maim someone without having to see, hear, or smell the gore.  These are all things worth thinking about but I found this film to be more character driven at an individual level.  Besides, the condition of a living and conscious person who can experience emotions like fear and anger trapped inside a body that is essentially all but useless is something that can occur from neurological medical conditions or accidents.  What was the purpose of keeping this man alive and what did the doctors plan to do with him?  Did they have the right to decide for him?  What became of his family after he was most likely listed as MIA?  These are the questions most relevant to this film.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the film was the random line of thought the human mind has and how they captured this on film.  Look for a much younger Donald Southerland as Jesus Christ in the mind of this man.  Great philosophical discussion about dreams controlling you or vice versa is made between the carpenter and the young man.  It is difficult to put into words what they managed to film.  A standout scene is when he pictures himself as a sideshow freak, his father the barker attracting patrons, and his nearly nude girlfriend selling tickets to the show.  I also loved the part where he remembers going to a Christmas party at work and the man in charge of the place is dressed as Dracula, toasting a glass, and repeatedly saying the phrase “I’m the boss, this is champagne, Merry Christmas”.  It sounds incoherent but in the film it brilliantly follows a train of thought. 

The filming was hauntingly beautiful at many times and reminded me of The Last Picture Show (1971) in how it was all character driven and simple things like movement of a person, a close zoom into a face, a touch of a hand, etc….become remarkable things but in a very serious way.  No, it is nothing like Amelie (2001) which was a comedy that used this technique in a different way.  There is also great wisdom and meaning in dialogue between the characters.  The part where the man’s father speaks with him about the meaning of a fishing pole when he is a child is outstanding.  The father considers everything about his life as being small; small house, income, wife, etc…yet he has the finest fishing pole that is superior to the one the wealthiest man in town has.  This gives the father distinction and just one thing in the world that is exclusively his and in which he can take pride.  Conjecture like this is something you can not find in a book through formal education.    

This was the first film I have seen in a long time that was so gripping that no matter how it ended you would think it ended too soon.  FYI, there is no graphic or explicit gore in the film at all.  There is some nudity and sexuality in the film but it is tame by today’s standards.  Yes, it is a very depressing film but also one that makes you think and be thankful for what you have. People get upset about things like standing too long in a line or getting stuck in traffic but put into the big picture if you have your health you have everything.  This is definite must see for practically anyone who is an adult; not suitable for any child though.  IMHO this should be mandatory viewing for anyone who graduates from a medical school before they can get a license to practice.

Note: Netflix just added this to their on demand online streaming library.         

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age