When a young military wife gets news that her Marine husband has been severely wounded in combat, she discovers that their life ahead is going to be an overwhelming - yet amazing - journey.
Birthday - Chris King
Scene from the movie
We talk to the Director Chris King, a veteran himself to find the story behind this incredibly moving and emotional movie as well as how he came across the story and script.
Chris - What inspired you to write and direct this film?
In July of 2012, I came across a photo online of a young, unnamed, severely wounded Marine. I don't remember how or why the picture showed up in my email, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't stop looking at it. As a veteran myself, I naturally have a soft spot for our wounded vets, so photos of them always affect me - but this photo in particular spoke to me in ways others hadn't. I couldn't put my finger on why, but his picture haunted me. Maybe it was a combination of how young he was, that his eye was missing and his face so badly damaged, and that his expression was just so, well, expressionless. I began to insert all sorts of meanings into this image until I couldn't take my curiosity anymore as to who this Marine was. So the process of tracking him down began. After a few weeks of research via websites, phone calls and emails, I discovered this young man to be Corporal Kyle Carpenter, a severely wounded Marine who was still recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland. We first chatted on the phone and later via Skype. What an amazing human being. Such a positive - almost cheerful - attitude on him despite having had his jaw and teeth blown out, his eye lost, and his arm and leg shredded. He threw himself on a grenade after it landed on a balcony where he and a fellow Marine stood. Those initial conversations with Kyle sparked my script about the severely wounded veteran rehabilitative process that ultimately become "Birthday". Two years later we finally made the film, but more significantly, Kyle received the Medal of Honor for his courageous act.
Star Mandy Mood
Is the film based on a particular true story?
"Birthday" isn't based on any one particular injured service member, but rather on many. We researched and interviewed several severely injured Marines and soldiers (and their family members) and combined all their stories to make our Marine and his Wife for the film.
How much research did you carry out on these type of injuries and the struggle that one faces in accepting them and continue living a normal life?
A lot! One need only do a basic Google search on our severely wounded service members and you'll (unfortunately) find a massive amount of information about them, their injuries and how they got them, how their rehabilitative process was, and how it affected them and their families. This, combined with the interviews of actual service members and medics, provided an enormous amount of information for us to work from.
Is the film meant to take a stand on the effect of war or is the intention to inspire the spectator to never give up on any type of challenge life poses?
Our intention for "Birthday" was to make it so that there wasn't any political slant or "moral message" to it. We wanted their story to simply stand on its own; a married couple dealing with catastrophic injuries from war the best they can. We wanted to make a story about HOPE for wounded warriors and their spouses. That they CAN get through this and come out stronger. But really, this film is for all couples that have gone through really hard times - those times when the dark side of "for better or for worse" comes calling and yet have chosen to find the best in themselves and each other. We view "Birthday" as a love story that is a testament to all those who keep choosing love and hope over defeat and despair.
In the film the wife plays a key role in supporting her husband and taking care of him physically and psychologically. Why did you choose to develop the story from her point of view?
Because we have already seen so many films about our wounded service members from the soldier's point of view. We felt that the perspective from wives and families and caregivers hadn't been given its proper due. Their struggles as they care for our severely wounded are real and, while perhaps different, are just as important as the struggles of the injured veterans themselves.
Why did you choose to run the key events (explosion, surgery etc..) faster than the rest of the story?
Because "Birthday" was never about the blasts and the blood and gore of IED explosions. We felt that lingering on the explosion itself - or worse, exploiting the scene with lots of blood - would have been both disrespectfully gratuitous and irrelevant to the film we set out to make. And we are very happy that many veterans have applauded our choice not to do this. To us, their opinion on how we handled events and authenticity in "Birthday" is the most important opinion.
Why did you feel 'birthday' was the right title?
Actually, I'm STILL not sure it was the "right" title. I went round and round over the title and simply decided that "Birthday" worked for me on the level of it acting as a rebirth, of you will, for our injured young Marine and even for their marriage.
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