Talking 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' with Joe Alwyn & Kristen Stewart

A lot has been written about the groundbreaking filmic innovations in Ang Lee's "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk." The three-time Oscar-winning director furthers the boundaries of cinema, shooting in 3D (super high-def) with a 120 frame per second rate that is close to five times the industry standard. John Toll's startlingly clear cinematography makes for a jarring, yet immersive, film-going experience (for the few theatres in the U.S. equipped for such a specific type of showcase).

And while the technology used is certainly fascinating, it's the human side of the story that is most compelling -- specifically the relationship between 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (Brit Joe Alwyn, in a rather astonishing film debut) and his protective, peace-positive sister, Kathryn (the ubiquitous Kristen Stewart).

Adapted from Ben Fountain's novel (by Jean-Christophe Castelli), the film is told from the POV of Billy Lynn, who, along with the surviving members of his Bravo Squad, is about to be celebrated at the 2004 Thanksgiving Day halftime show (alongside Beyonce) for their heroism in Iraq. The confused boys are simultaneously lionized and exploited, a stunning example of just how this country has treated their soldier's post-WW2.

Bringing the War Home

"The film doesn't go into the politics of war or why these guys are fighting over there," Alwyn offers, "but it brings the war home and explores people's projections on the soldiers rather than getting into the morality and the politics of it so much. And when they return to the States for this PR tour, that perfect image of the brave American soldiers fighting for America is pushed on them, when that's not necessarily the reality of it. And this is not just specific to America. There are soldiers fighting all over the world for whom this will resonate because it's universal."

The heart of the movie is, indeed, the brother/sister bond that has weakened because of the war.

"Before, Billy was incredibly close with his other sister, Kathryn," Alwyn explains. "When he comes home from the war, he sees that she's changed. She's cynical. And she doesn't want him to return to Iraq. She has a plan for him to meet this doctor and find medical grounds to not have to return with the rest of the boys. She is also guilty for his being in danger in the first place because after her accident Billy went after her ex-fianc� -- trashing his car and chasing him around with a tire iron -- after the creep dumped her. For Billy it was either the Army or jail. Now that he's home, questions are already circling in his head about not wanting to go back, but Kathryn's the one who pushes him to think about it seriously."

The Film's Conscience

Kathryn is the conscience of the film in many ways, and Stewart embodies her fully, despite her youth.

"I was a lot younger when this all went down," Stewart states referring to the Iraqi War. "And I think that I share a really generalized, remote relationship to it, but most of the people my age do. Unless you have family members who served or you've become fervently involved politically, which my generation has very little to do with."

She continues: "What I found the most interesting about (Kathryn) is that you have somebody who is essentially a pacifist. In the film she never describes her liberalism as anything that doesn't sound completely humanitarian. That doesn't just sound like somebody who's really provoking somebody. And also acknowledging a massive gap between herself and somebody that she's known intimately her whole life but can never hold as close as she has because now they're different beings. To love them as much as you'd want to."

Fucking Appropriate

Stewart sees Kathryn's questioning as having "fucking perfectly appropriate timing," asking her brother: "Have you actually considered the fact that these inexplicable pieces are affecting us, and you're my brother, and you're so inside of something that you haven't ever been given the opportunity to understand? Is that fair and can you be proud of that? That's a first person situation. Now take all of us out of it. I have so much more distance than somebody who may have served does, yet I still have that same feeling. Can I own my feelings? Do I really understand it?"

She adds that Kathryn's questioning comes from a place of deep concern for her brother's well being. What happens after the accolades end and Billy is alone forced to deal with his war experiences? "I don't think she's just anti-war (as much as she wants to) understand what we're fighting for. I think that she worries for him. What's going to happen when your training fades and all of those mechanical default responses fade and you become a human being that doesn't know how to contend with what happened? And further than that, how do we contend with putting those people there? It's really hard. And it's not something anyone has done yet, really. She's the epitome of question rather than (an) opinion, which I think is pretty cool."

"What is attractive about Billy is that he is this image of the all-American normal kid," Alywn adds, "which is why people try to turn him into what they want to project onto him, to mold him into what they can use him for. I also think of Billy as a rebel, but not too much the rebel, who is a bit on the outside, on the fringes and quite a solitary character who likes to get on with things by himself. I think he is has leadership qualities, but I think he likes his solitude."

"Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" is in theaters now.

Watch the trailer to "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk":