Bellum - The Daemon Of War

There's a philosophical and melancholy sweep to Georg Götmark and David Herdies documentary, which despite holding some interesting ruminations on the subject of war and its participants, is often frustratingly fragmented in its approach.

The film is composed of three strands - one concerning US photojournalist Paula Bronstein, who we see working in Afghanistan, a second focused on Swedish AI developer Frederik Bruhn while a third dips in and out of the life of American military contractor Bill Lyon, who is clearly not enjoying life away from the frontline. This loose triptych is bridged by voice-over by  Swedish poet Johannes Anyuru, contemplating concepts as diverse as the use of artificial intelligence and the story of the Roman senator who coined the phrase "bellum se ipsum alet" (war will feed itself).

Lyon's story is by far the most accomplished of the three presented in terms of documentary meat - and could easily have been expanded into a separate film in its own right - as the directors have struck up a strong rapport that allows them to disappear as the contractor and his friends, many of whom have also done multiple tours of warzones, talk about the aftermath. "I really hate coming back," he admits. "It's boring when you get home".

Bronstein's story meanwhile hints at interest and insight which goes beyond what we glimpse on screen. She is given much less time to articulate her perspective in the film which, in general, offers scant biographical detail, leaving the audience to glean what we can, which unfortunately shifts the focus away from where the weightier themes the directors are trying to lay out.

Bruhn's work, in particular, is made almost opaque by the edit. We see him talking about various bits and pieces of drone technology but there's never enough information to fully get the gist. That makes it all the more annoying when the documentarians essentially 'waste' valuable time showing him dancing in headphones to techno. The filmmakers seem to be torn between outlining the technological advancements of war and the implications that might have across the world and considering the process from a more psychological perspective in terms of its impact on those who wage it. By trying to do both, the narrative flow chops about too much for its own good, often changing direction just as one element is becoming interesting. It's not that any of the ideas here don't warrant consideration but rather that the filmmakers fail to whittle them down to an amount that can be explored successfully in the time available

Götmark and Herdies may be seeking an emotional resonance above all else but basic facts must come first to avoid confusion. In the end this is a documentary whose elements are, if not quite at war with one another, certainly a long way from a successful marriage.