Triage (2009)

Plot Introduction
The 2009 drama film "Triage" directed by Danis Tanovic features Colin Farrell as Mark Walsh, a photojournalist covering the war in Kurdistan. The story focusses on the psychological and mental trauma Walsh experiences after experiencing war's harrowing scenes.

Story
Farrell's character Mark Walsh partners with his veteran friend and colleague David (Jamie Sives) to document the Kurdish dispute at its height. Their journey takes a regrettable turn as David gets lost following a hospital battle incident they experienced together. Mark is injured and noticeably shaken, however he's reclaimed house to Ireland where his sweetheart Elena (Paz Vega) awaits him. Mark has a hard time to understand what took place to David and is haunted by the painful experiences of the war.

Sorrow and Trauma
As he recuperates from his injuries, his physical health contrasts with his deteriorating mental state. The painful images of the war, especially the loss of his buddy, start to take a toll on his psychological health and wellbeing. He experiences trauma (PTSD), showing symptoms like problems, stress and anxiety and psychological outbursts. His sorrow is magnified when he can't provide descriptions about David's location to his friend's partner, Diane, played by Kelly Reilly.

Mystifying Encounters
In a mission for responses, Mark chooses to meet Dr. Talzani (Branko Djuric), who had treated them in Kurdistan. The medical professional runs a clandestine triage centre, identifying, based on injuries' seriousness, the soldiers who will make it through and those who will not. The grim job of tagging people for death haunts the medical professional, paralleling Mark's struggle with the terrible images he captures through his lens. The meeting perplexes Mark, leaving him with more questions and a much more disturbed mind.

Unfolding the Truth
Elena, stressed over Mark's declining psychological health, calls upon her grandfather Joaquin (Christopher Lee), a psychologist who personally experienced war's despair during the Spanish Civil War. Joaquin employs a method called hypnosis to draw Mark into reliving his terrible experiences. Under hypnosis, Mark lastly confronts a suppressed reality: David did not endure the health center explosion in Kurdistan. He was triaged by Dr. Talzani, considered unfit and left to pass away. It's revealed that Mark, burdened with regret and sorrow, obstructed the memory out, causing his extreme PTSD.

Conclusion
"Triage" is a powerful depiction of the psychological impacts war develops on those tasked with recording it. The traumatic experiences dealt with by people who are merely spectators, like photojournalists or medics, are highlighted in Mark's struggle with PTSD and Dr. Talzani's grim task. Mark's journey starts with trying to reveal the truth of war through his lens however ends up grappling with an extreme reality of his friend's death that he suppressed.

Touched with flawless efficiencies, particularly from Colin Farrell, "Triage" is a thought-provoking expedition of the lesser-seen victims of war-- those on the fringe, exposed to its horrors without being direct contenders. Tanovic's instructions leaves the audience reflective about not just the physical, however the immense mental toll a war extracts.

Top Cast