Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery

According to one woman, Section 60 is the saddest place in America, and perhaps one of the most honourable. In this area of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are put to rest. Just as subtle as it is macabre, the camera shows that a considerable part of the area is still undeveloped, almost inviting, you might say. Of those who are interred at this cemetery, only a simple headstone is to be seen, with the name, dates, and a religious symbol. The visible, moving people are those who were left behind: a mother who lost her only child, a young widow who feels the absence of her husband every day, the little girl who sings "Happy Birthday" on what would have been her father's 30th birthday. A man drinks a beer and with each sip, pours a splash from a second bottle onto his brother-in-law's grave. An emotional guy shows us the container of the cigar that he and his dead buddy were supposed to smoke together when the latter came home. With a serene and solemn tone, Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery tells the hidden story of those who are left to pick up the pieces once the cold death announcements have grown still. In that light, the military distinctions chiselled in marble are bitter signs. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)