A packed house Tuesday at the UW-WC Theater for a special showing of the film, Almost Sunrise.
Directed by Michael Collins, the movie follows Veterans Trekkers, Anthony Anderson and Tom Voss, as they hike from Wisconsin to California as a way to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and spread the word about suicide in the military.
There were many powerful moments in the film as it crisscrossed between Anderson and Voss in their youth and then to some of the horrors they witnessed while serving in Iraq.
There were tender moments of the pair being welcomed into communities during their 2,700-mile trek. Sitting and eating meals with veterans and saluting scouts that stood alongside the road. “How ’bout we put on some marching music,” said one man as Anderson and Voss approached.
The nearly 2-hour film included some wonderful scenery, physical challenges of the tour and a tender moment when Anderson offered his steady arm to a delicate senior citizen with hip issues while he hefted a heavy wooden chair with the other.
The film documented Voss’s continued struggle with thoughts of suicide as he tried to wrap his head around forgiveness for what he had done. “How can a just God let humans do this to each other? There has to be a time when we stop fighting.”
After the film Collins, Anderson and his family fielded questions from the audience. See the clip above.
The evening was coordinated by West Bend High School teacher Tony Zappia in cooperation with UW-Washington County.