IAR: In the research that you did for the role, did you find that dilemma to be common for many soldiers? Not necessarily the AWOL aspect, but the idea of choosing between home and family, and their own unit?

Gabel: Yeah! It was tough because I think a lot of the guys in the National Guard when they were called up were able to make the choice, and a lot of the guys weren’t able to make the choice whether or not they were going to go. So it’s really difficult because you’re so close to the other soldiers in your unit and it really becomes a question of loyalty, not just to your country, but also to your friends that you’ve been training with for so long and perhaps fighting with. So that dilemma is an extremely difficult one and I think that’s what’s so profoundly impactful about this story. It captures a very simple and honest relationship between people that you don’t really see in war films and usually address the vulnerable feelings that soldiers have.