The horror of warfare includes the residual markings left on its combatants long after the fighting stops if they even leave the battlefield alive in the first place. What is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was previously known as Shell Shock or Battle Fatigue. 

 

While the language may change, this condition's very real, harmful effects do not. The focal point of The Plastic Men is veterans struggling to reintegrate into society after experiencing heavy trauma. This film was a hard watch, and that's why it works so well.

 

There are two messages in The Plastic Men. The first is that young men are conditioned to prime themselves for glory by killing one another for country and virtue at an early age à la tiny Army plastic men. I'll discuss the second message later. Both messages are vital, and they overlap.

 

James Preston gives a harrowing and haunted performance as Johnathan Teller. In the film's opening scene, after a run-in with the law that leaves his friend dead, Teller is granted two choices: go fight in Vietnam or rot in jail. This set-up is certainly not new or original, but Preston gives Teller a pulse by wearing his conscience on his sleeve. He wants to do the right thing, even if the accountability is painful. 

 

Writer/director Samuel Gonzalez Jr., also a veteran, sidesteps the glorification of the brutal jungle warfare of Vietnam. We only get glimpses of Teller's experiences, namely the death of an innocent by his own hands. These splashes of death allow Gonzalez Jr. to craft smart and clever visualizations when Teller is back stateside. Preston’s delivery is a baring, vulnerable turn. His guilt and remorse jump off the screen.

 

The Plastic Men, which is classified in the horror category, is more psychological drama than conventional terror. However, I would entertain an argument that this short 88-minute film transcends usual horror movie containment anyway. 

 

Teller's loose grasp of what is real and what is not bleed into his civilian life, affecting his job and personal relationships. There is an absorbing scene during a VFW group meeting, where other members share the echoed trembling nightmares that manifest in profanity and shouting matches. The true horror is having to carry such burdensome feelings without coping or processing skills. Gonzalez Jr., through the animus of Teller's striking performance, inserts this idea that these horrors are akin to holding a hot tray with no gloves. All you can do about it is scream.

 

Teller limps through life, spiraling into prostitutes, drugs, and drinking to cloud out and push away his memories; despite all the distractions, the pain remains. The only viable solution Teller seriously considers is the final one. A key reminder is that the setting of America in the post-Vietnam era was particularly hard on veterans. They were not embraced with patriotism and support like the former Greatest Generation of World War II or the latter generation who fought terrorism. After being put through hell and brought home only to be castigated by his fellow citizens, Teller is adrift. 

 

The Plastic Men was born out of a true story from a Craigslist ad. An old Vietnam Veteran posted a Missed Connection about a girl who found him back in 1972, the night he was going to cash in for good. Sadly, the real veteran was never identified, nor did the mystery woman ever come forward. 

 

Gonzalez Jr. took the simple premise of a serendipitous intervention and carved out a story that will resonate with more than one sad soul. That is good filmmaking. If I had to mark any criticisms against this film, the intervention scene comes way too late, reminiscent of a deus ex machina. I am sure this intentionally allowed Teller's trauma to hit a fever pitch. Herein lies the second message – talk to your friends, neighbors, even strangers. The opportunity to save someone's life could be around the corner.