The journey through A24’s 2019 output continues through one of the most interesting periods they’ve had in a while. With The Elephant Queen (2019), the studio found themselves producing a nature documentary that was the furthest from expectation while capturing an important exploration of global warming on nature’s wondrous creatures. The heavy messages continued with their next release, which found them returning to the controversial landmine that is military dramas that uncover serious matters. Having produced a documentary on the subject prior and several Oscar-nominated shorts, Dan Krauss’ The Kill Team (2019) explores the moral struggle for a young soldier to do the right thing amid a community of vicious criminals. While it wasn’t their most successful film, it was another work that reflected the studio’s ability to tackle hard issues in interesting and provocative matters.
The story begins in 2009 with the Maywand District murders. Between 2009 and 2010, a dozen soldiers committed a series of crimes that ranged from illegal drugs to murdering innocent Afghanistan citizens. Among those included was Private Adam Winfield, 21, who was said to have blown the whistle on the matter and ended up being penalized for his behavior. He was also attacked by those around him in an effort to keep him from getting the truth out. When the story broke via American newspapers, Krauss was among those who read the story. He remembered being confused and eager to understand how Winfield could do seemingly the right thing but end up in trouble. As a result, he proceeded to do research and produce a documentary.
It was far from his first project that would be recognized. He would direct The Death of Kevin Carter (2005), which focused on the death of an African photojournalist. It would win an Oscar for Best Live Action Short. He would receive another nomination for Extremis (2016), which was about families with patients in I.C.U. making difficult decisions. When making the documentary The Kill Team (2014), he worked with Winfield and various others willing to discuss the difficult subject matter. It would win an Independent Spirit Award.
Even with all of this said, he wanted to produce a fictionalized version that he hoped would tap more into the emotional side of things. While he believed that the documentary had an unbiased reflection of the matter, he felt there was still room to explore how they went about the difficult decisions in a more human and interpretive manner. Krauss claims that he made The Kill Team (2019) not as an attack on the military, but as an attempt to understand and empathize with the struggles. He suggests that he respects the military and feels it’s important to watch the work not as being judgmental but as exploring the psychological processes that go through one’s head. Along with watching war movies, he claims that he was inspired by mafia movies like Goodfellas (1990), which he believed informed the structure of the soldiers who all worked under the “mafia don” that was Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgard).
Krauss claims that Nat Wolff was the first actor who signed on in October 2016. He was very passionate about the script and wanted to get involved. Skarsgard followed not too long after and soon the entire cast fell into place. The film was shot in Fuerteventura, which is one of The Canary Islands.
In what proved to be one of the film’s most interesting legacies was how the military responded to the film. True to his word, Krauss was eager to get feedback from anyone who had served who saw the film. They agreed that The Kill Team wasn’t an attack on the institution, but an effort to comment on a past mistake and try to find ways to improve. They claimed that it was difficult to bring the subject up, especially with soldiers who perpetuated that behavior in major roles of power, but it was a great talking point. Krauss claimed that he wanted to make sure it was important without having a notion of needing to be seen that way. He made it more of a thriller that captured the emotional struggle of the characters, notably Wolff’s Andrew Briggman. Given that everyone’s name was changed, there’s more of a chance for anonymity and the ability to deal with things that may be more personal. As a result, the film may be a bit sketchy at times, but the results provoked the right conversation.
A24 would acquire the rights in November 2018. It would premiere the following April at The Tribeca Film Festival before an October release. With a modest box office, it continued the trend of tough subject movies being fictionalized for wider audiences. This included Share (2019) from earlier in the year which again was adapted from a different project to help start a conversation. While it wouldn’t be the most recognized A24 film of that Fall, it was more evidence that the studio could take risks and make an interesting spin on the important but difficult subject matter.
The film overall was also modestly reviewed. According to critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, The Kill Team received a 71%. Leading the cheers was Daniel Howat of Next Best Picture who noted “Though there is little new added to the extensive conversation surrounding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, The Kill Team highlights the dangerous, and perhaps all too easy, radicalization that can happen in this culture.” Joe Friar of The Victoria Advocate continued with “Skarsgard excels in the film based on a true story and the 2014 Krauss documentary. Gripping. A must-see.” The few who disagreed included Matt Zoller Seitz who retorted “The Kill Team is lean, sincere, impassioned filmmaking, yet it fails to leave as much of an impression as it clearly wants to.” Overall it was another serviceable round of reviews that acknowledged the significance of the film even if it wasn’t necessarily breaking new ground.
By fictionalizing his documentary, Krauss created a solid interpretation of a horrifying event in military history. He continues to work on thought-provoking stories, including most recently with The Anthrax Attacks (2022) which chronicles the impact of anthrax following 9/11. He has also worked with Paul Haggis on 5B (2019) since.
With A24’s next release, there is a shift back to more conventional drama with a film that lead many to compare it to the HBO series Euphoria. Considered an anxiety-inducing look at wayward teenagers, it’s also the third collaboration between the studio and Trey Edward Schultz who continues to diversify his output with one of the most divisive yet exciting films they released that Fall. As a story that was chasing trends, it was a one of a kind experience or maybe an inauthentic look by the wrong filmmakers. It depends on who one trusts in that opinion. For now, it's another odd duck in a series of amazing risks that, if nothing else, keep the studio moving in interesting directions.
Coming Up Next: Waves (2019)
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