The 2025 film The Plastic Men<\/strong><\/em> review was going to be titled \u201cHeartfelt Chaos.\u201d But my SEO nixed that effort, so \u201cChaos of the Heart\u201d was chosen instead. This tale of one man\u2019s painful journey to salvation will move you. If it does not, you have a heart of stone and I mourn your passing.<\/p>\n Jonathan Teller is a man whom tragedy visits early. After a life changing event where he is told to \u201cGo to Vietnam or go to jail,\u201d he opts for the military offer. After the physical war is over for him, He begins his internal battle. PTSD is the order of the day, and nights. Jonathan, as a new plastic man, is struggling. Suddenly, when he least expects it, he meets an angel.<\/p>\n William Fichtner<\/a> is the narrator.<\/p>\n James Preston<\/a> is Jonathan Teller.<\/p>\n Gigi Gustin<\/a> is Linda.<\/p>\n Matthew Fahey<\/a> is Speedy.<\/p>\n Aaron Dalla Villa<\/a> is Abbott.<\/p>\n Armie Hicks Jr.<\/a> is Jim Sanders.<\/p>\n Meredith Thomas<\/a> is Mrs Anderson.<\/p>\n Constance Forslund<\/a> is the Landlady.<\/p>\n Sarah Nicklin<\/a> is the head nurse.<\/p>\n Melanie Martyn<\/a> is Judy.<\/p>\n Samuel Gonzalez Jr.<\/a> writes and directs The Plastic Men<\/strong><\/em> with a heartfelt empathy to all the chaos that all vets suffer. It is not just the ones who returned from \u201cNam.\u201d Although this tale is<\/em> focused upon the troops who returned to scorn and apathy. <\/p>\n *The director says, in his mission statement, that The Plastic Men<\/strong><\/em> came about after reading a \u201cpersonal\u201d from Craigslist. <\/p>\n The ad was from a Veteran who was looking for his<\/em> angel. Years after the fact, the man was looking for the woman who turned his life around. Samuel states that he never found the writer of the ad or learned if he found his \u201cGuardian Angel.\u201d*<\/p>\n The cinematography by Trevor Hooper<\/a> and Chris Saul<\/a> is tight in all the right places. Clive Hawkins<\/a>\u2018 stunts are convincing and well done. The editing team of Chris Clancy<\/a> (On-line.) and Brandon Amelotte<\/a> (Assistant.) marries completely with the cinematography team for seamless results. <\/p>\n Colours in this film are spot on. Whether in the terrors of the shower or the horrific flashbacks, we feel that, as viewers, we are there with him. The lighting and colour bring us to that place. <\/p>\n Fichtner\u2019s narration of The Plastic Men<\/em><\/strong> is brilliant. He adds the right amount of tired relief and pathos. Fichtner is so good, in fact, that I initially did not recognise his voice. He has embraced the character he is voicing with an amount of perfection that is beyond truth. <\/p>\n Preston embodies his physical performance with a deep understanding of mental anguish and pain. The veterans from Vietnam were the only troops to return from a war they lost. Atrocities committed by others were the badge they all had to carry. <\/p>\n Kudos to Melanie Martyn and Gigi Gustin as well as Sarah Nicklin; they all brought a certain truth to their roles. And a special shout out to Aaron Dalla Villa as Abbott. He rocks it here with a scenery chewing aplomb that is as disturbing as it is moving. In fact all the actors in the Veteran self-help group kill it here. <\/p>\n *Personal note: By the grace of God I missed Vietnam. I was just that bit too<\/em> young. But I worked with veterans and listened, when they wanted to talk . Eight years after the war ended, I went to join the USAF. A flower child artist I met was saddened and said to me, \u201cYou don\u2019t look like no baby killer honey. Turn away.\u201d *<\/p>\n The Plastic Men<\/em><\/strong> works. We are made privy to Jonathan\u2019s journey. His flashbacks, his internal battle with guilt and the agony he feels. As we follow this story, we feel not just his pain, but that of the other veterans he meets along the way. It is a harrowing experience. <\/p>\n The Plastic Men<\/em><\/strong> earns a stressful 5 stars out of 5. Samuel Gonzalez Jr knocks this one right out of the metaphorical park. The film is available on Amazon and other popular platforms on 11 March. Go and check it out.<\/p>\n It will move you.<\/p>\n \nThe story<\/h4>\n
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The Cast<\/h4>\n
Behind the Camera<\/h4>\n
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Cast is King (and Queen)<\/h4>\n
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it works<\/h4>\n
The Verdict<\/h4>\n
The Trailer<\/h4>\n