Regeneration

A thoughtful period drama that delicately probes the psychological fallout of the First World War. It explores the experiences of two poet-soldiers; a working class lad who's risen through the ranks; and the military doctor who treats them. The doctor's job is to help the men cope with the horrors of battle so they can be returned to the very war that drove them mad in the first place. He's confronted by a further challenge with one of the poets: The outspoken writer is clearly quite sane, but he's made a public statement condemning the war, so his superiors have packed him off to the ''loony bin'' to discredit him. Faced with exorcising the demons as well as the moral issues in trying to convince the poet to recant, the doctor edges dangerously close to shellshock himself.