Hyena Road

Three men in Kandahar: a sniper, an intelligence officer and a legendary local fighter left over from the Soviet occupation. The Canadian unit is trying to build a road straight through Taliban ground, and the further it goes the murkier it gets who is allied with whom. Paul Gross wrote, directed and took one of the roles, alongside Rossif Sutherland and Allan Hawco. The road's name is not invented: it comes from a real route Canadian troops cut in the Panjwayi district. Gross went to Afghanistan and spent time with the Canadian contingent while writing. Most of the shooting was done in Jordan, with the Canadian Armed Forces supplying vehicles and equipment. It is one of very few films to tell Canada's Afghanistan mission from its own perspective. The narrative reaches no verdict; what remains when the tour ends is left open. Who it is for: followers of modern war films and the soldier's-eye view. Who it is not for: anyone expecting political framing; the film looks at daily operation in the field, not at causes.