Watch Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss is a 2014 drama film directed by Claudia Myers, starring Michelle Monaghan, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Pablo Schreiber. The film follows the story of a woman named Maggie Swann, a decorated army medic, who returns home to Fort Bliss in Texas after serving in Afghanistan for over a year. As she tries to readjust to civilian life and reconnect with her five-year-old son, she faces various challenges including PTSD, strained relationships, and missed opportunities.

The film opens with a scene where Maggie and her team of medics are fighting to save the life of a wounded soldier in Afghanistan. Despite their efforts, the soldier dies, leaving Maggie feeling devastated and guilty. She returns home to Fort Bliss where she is greeted by her ex-husband, Richard (Ron Livingston), who has remarried and taken custody of their son, Paul (Oakes Fegley). Maggie's attempt to reconnect with her son is met with resistance, and she struggles to strike a balance between her duties as a soldier and her responsibilities as a mother.

Maggie's PTSD symptoms become apparent when she attends a welcome-home party hosted by her colleague and friend, Staff Sergeant Butcher (Schreiber). She becomes irritated by the loud noises and crowds, leading her to leave the party and seek solace at a bar. She meets a man named Luis (Manolo Cardona) and the two hit it off. They spend the night together, and Maggie feels guilty about betraying Richard, leading her to cancel their next date.

Maggie's struggles continue as she tries to fit in with her unit back at Fort Bliss. Her commanding officer, Colonel Roger Hepburn (Dash Mihok), offers her a promotion and a chance to train soldiers in Afghanistan, but she hesitates, not wanting to leave her son again. Maggie's mother, Alma (Garry Guerrier), tries to convince her to leave the army and start a new life, but Maggie is torn between her love for her son and her duty to her country.

As the film progresses, Maggie begins to bond with her son, taking him to a carnival and spending quality time with him. She also reconciles with Luis and decides to give their relationship a chance. However, when her unit receives orders to redeploy to Afghanistan, Maggie's world is turned upside down. She must make a decision between her duty to her country and her responsibility to her son.

In the final act of the film, Maggie's unit is deployed, and she faces various challenges in Afghanistan, including dealing with injured soldiers and adapting to a new environment. Meanwhile, her mother takes care of Paul, and Maggie struggles to stay in touch with him due to the lack of communication infrastructure in Afghanistan. Maggie also faces a difficult decision when she learns that Paul is sick and needs her attention. She must make a choice between staying in Afghanistan and completing her mission or returning home to take care of her son.

Overall, Fort Bliss is an emotional and thought-provoking film that explores the challenges faced by veterans returning home from war. It is a poignant portrayal of a mother struggling to balance her duties as a soldier and a parent. Michelle Monaghan delivers a powerful performance as Maggie, capturing the character's pain, guilt, and resilience. The supporting cast, including Emmanuelle Chriqui and Pablo Schreiber, also delivers excellent performances. The film is a must-watch for anyone interested in military-themed drama films.

Fort Bliss is a 2014 war movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 68.