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WNYC’s Brigid Bergin spent some time at the TFF yesterday. Here’s what she had to say about one of this year’s feature documentaries:

“LIONESS is a documentary about a group of women soldiers who end up on the frontlines in Iraq, in spite of official U.S. policy baring them from combat. Directed by Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers, the film draws on archival footage, journal excerpts, and interviews with the soldiers and their military superiors.

The directors say they’re not trying to make a political statement. But the film inevitably raises questions: what role should women play in a 21st century military? Should the law on the books be amended to reflect what’s happening on the ground? And are women getting sufficient training to complete their new missions successfully?

The film’s pacing can drag, particularly when telling the soldiers’ back-stories. But overall, LIONESS raises issues worth contemplating and presents portraits of real women in service as opposed to the past media caricatures, a la the hapless Jessica Lynch or the ghoulish like Lynndie England.”