The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

Built around interviews with former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the Academy Award–winning The Fog of War is a haunted retrospective reflection on the application of US military power from World War II through the war in Vietnam. McNamara reminisces about his childhood, education (at UC Berkeley), and family life in addition to his professional career. As compelling as it is chilling, the film skillfully illustrates McNamara’s “lessons” on various themes—empathizing with your enemy, the limits of reason, proportionality in war, the need to do evil to do good—with archival footage, declassified White House recordings, animation, and an immersive soundtrack by Philip Glass.