To Be of Service
Animal Kingdom
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1h 27m
Directed by Josh Aronson • Documentary • With Greg Kolodziejczyk and Valor, Thomas Flood and Mako, Phil Bauer and Champ, Sylvia Bowersox and Timothy, Brandon Lewis and Boothe • 2019 • 88 minutes
From Academy Award nominated Josh Aronson, and featuring a new song from Jon Bon Jovi, "To Be Of Service" is a feature-length documentary about veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), who are paired with a service dog to help them regain their lives. Returning home for these vets is often plagued by depression and a painful disconnect from the world they once knew. Family, old friends and jobs seem foreign, and newly returned warriors often struggle to return to a normal civilian life. "To Be Of Service" follows these warriors after they get their dog as this deeply bonded friendship restores independence and the ability to love for the men and women who so courageously served our country.
"Hope runs throughout much of 'To Be of Service,' and its overriding point is well made: These dogs are saving the lives of those who've sacrificed so much. Every person profiled here deserves an immense amount of respect. Every animal, too." —Ken Jaworowski, The New York Times
"An emotional look at the remarkable life changes resulting from the introduction of trained service dogs into the lives of military veterans suffering from PTSD." —Jim Amos, Forbes
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