Apocalypse Now

Being a psychology major, I thought that the psychological elements of the movie were very interesting. In the very beginning, viewers are exposed to a character (Captain Willard) who clearly suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As the movie progresses, he becomes more and more conscious of the atrocities of war. I feel that this is effective in really opening our eyes to the harsh realities of war. We see how it can tear people down and destroy their lives. Willard is completely distraught but then is expected to return to battle. Kurtz was also a very interesting character psychologically, along with his hold on people. I thought it was so odd that the American photographer was so infatuated with Kurtz and that he also was able to get all of the natives on his side; it seemed as though he was brainwashing them. At the very end, after Willard kills Kurtz, I feel as though he replaces or becomes him and I liked how they left the ending up for interpretation.