The Vietnam War left more than 58,000 US soldiers dead and an estimated 271,000 suffering from severe PTSD from the horrors they saw there and the horrific things they were forced to do. A new psychological horror film, The Plastic Men, explores that. And it is based on true events.
The Plastic Men tells the poignant story of Jonathan Teller, a Vietnam veteran wrestling with the invisible wounds of war. Haunted by guilt and plagued by paranoid delusions, Teller reaches a point of despair, contemplating suicide as his only escape. However, a chance encounter disrupts his plans, throwing his struggle with reality into sharp relief. The film poses powerful questions about the lasting impact of trauma and the elusive nature of healing.
This independent feature film comes from the creative mind of writer-director Samuel Gonzalez Jr. (The Retaliators). Being a veteran himself, Gonzalez brings a unique perspective to this exploration of the veteran experience.
The film features a compelling cast. James Preston (Joshua Tree 1951: A Portrait of James Dean) embodies the complex character of Jonathan Teller. Aaron Dalla Villa (The Wrath of Becky) also stars. William Fichtner (Heat, The Dark Knight) lends his talent as the film’s narrator, providing a powerful voice to Teller’s internal struggles.
The Plastic Men delves into the profound psychological toll of war and explores the challenges veterans face in reintegrating into civilian life. Teller’s journey is a microcosm of the struggles many veterans experience. They grapple with guilt, trauma, and the often-unseen scars of combat. The film’s exploration of these themes and the cast’s performances promises a moving and thought-provoking cinematic experience.
The producers are Matthew Hersh, Gigi Gustin (Night of the Missing), and Gregori J. Martin (The Bay). Melanie Martyn serves as executive producer. Martyn and Gustin also appear in the film.
“After completing my first feature film “The Retaliators” I was searching for my next project. I stumbled upon a misplaced lonely AD on Craigslist from a Vietnam veteran searching for the woman who saved his life and stopped him from committing suicide almost 40 years earlier.
Being a veteran myself, I understood his pain and his transition from the hell of war back into normal life. And in a way making this film was the ultimate therapeutic experience. I knew I had to tell his story. I called it “THE PLASTIC MEN” – a term coined for how the Vietnam veterans were treated when they returned home to their country. Discarded and unused plastic toy army men. I hope the film reaches an audience of people who in their own way, if dealing with trauma, loss of hope, PTSD, and mental illness – that there is hope out there, and it comes in the most unexpected ways and the most unexpected of places. You just have to give it “a moment.” Gonzalez states.
Witness a soldier’s struggle to cope with the horrors of war in The Plastic Men, coming to Amazon Prime on March 11, 2025.
