In Waves and War

2024 1h 48m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 8

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three Navy SEALs leave their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with treatment-resistant, unrelenting psychological pain. They find themselves at the cutting edge of a different frontline: a lifesaving psychedelic therapy that brings healing to a community in urgent need.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Marcus Capone
Self
Amber Capone
Self
DJ Shipley
Self
Matty Roberts
Self
Patsy Dietz-Shipley
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bonni Cohen
Writers: Marcus Armitage, Margherita Premuroso, Josh Ryba
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bonni Cohen, shot by Jon Shenk. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Don Bernier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Marcus Capone and Amber Capone and DJ Shipley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt33108207 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bonni Cohen directs. Jon Shenk behind the camera. Don Bernier cuts. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 2 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
3Directed by Bonni Cohen, shot by Jon Shenk. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Don Bernier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Marcus Capone and Amber Capone and DJ Shipley carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt33108207 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jon Shenk
Editing: Don Bernier
Sound: Liz Marston
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: In Waves and War (2024)

Also by

Bonni Cohen

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2026-01-22
★ 7/10
The stresses of combat are virtually impossible to fathom. It’s any wonder how anyone could somehow survive such trying conditions. That’s especially true for those assigned to special forces units, the soldiers who take on the particularly tough missions, such as the members of the Navy SEALs. Considering what they go through, given their high-risk operations and multiple war zone deployments, it’s no surprise that they suffer the debilitating effects of conditions like PTSD and wrestle with issues like uncontrollable rage, memory loss and suicidal thoughts. And, to make matters worse, many of the treatments they have been given upon returning home are often ineffective (sometimes even making things worse). However, as this revealing documentary from directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk shows, there’s much hope for these veterans from a new – and unexpected – therapy: psychedelic drug treatment. The film follows the experience of three SEAL team members (Marcus Capone, DJ Shipley, Matty Roberts) who came back from multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq seriously in need of help. With nothing left to lose, they decided to give this radical new treatment a shot. The program employs the administration of two substances: ibogaine, a bark derivative from the African iboga plant, and 5-MeO-DMT, a secretion from the exterior of the Sonoran Desert toad. Both hallucinogens are illegal in the US, so patients need to travel to Mexico to partake of the treatment. Much to the skeptical soldiers’ astonishment, however, they experienced miraculous relief from these remedies, which, though psychedelic in nature, are rooted in the folk medicine of indigenous peoples. The after-effects of their combat duty virtually disappeared after their initial drug treatments, in large part because the substances opened up their consciousness and revealed aspects of their inner selves that drove the development of their symptoms, conditions that had long been hidden and actually arose from personal experiences that occurred prior to their military service. While their wartime ordeals undeniably had an impact on them, they effectively masked the root cause; it was actually the underlying trauma that occurred previously that was responsible for their challenges, insights that might not have been revealed were it not for the therapy with psychedelics. In that sense, then, this treatment represents not only a potential breakthrough for distressed soldiers returning from war, but also possibly for anyone seeking to recover from other kinds of long-buried trauma as well. This is a truly remarkable story with the potential to provide much-needed relief for many. However, it’s somewhat disappointing that the film doesn’t always do the best job of imparting this information. For example, the picture comes up a little short on connecting the various dots involved in this narrative. In addition, it could use more background on the particulars of how the substances function and on the work of the researchers who developed, tested and administered the treatment in the first place. What’s more, with all due respect to the patients and their service, their wartime recollections could use some paring back in favor of other aspects of the story that could use more attention. To its credit, though, “In Waves and War” is a truly cathartic, heartfelt journey, made all the more authentic by its raw emotion, revelatory insights and joyful experience of recovery, all expressed through uncensored interviews and coupled with treatment depictions illustrated through inventive animation. It’s heartbreaking but also heartwarming to witness what these heroes endured, but who also managed to find a way to come back from this turmoil, both on the battlefield and off.

Production companies