Finding a Way Out of the Backdoor Draft

March 26, 2007— -- It wasn't her intention to make a political film. And if you ask Kimberly Peirce, she hasn't. In her new film, "Stop-Loss," the award-winning director and writer of "Boys Don't Cry" wanted to focus on the soldiers. Peirce and her leading man, Ryan Phillippe, sat down with Rolling Stone's Peter Travers on "Popcorn" on ABC News Now to discuss the movie.

"Stop-Loss" tells the story of small-town Texas buddies Brandon (Phillippe) and Steve (Channing Tatum), who hope to settle back into normal life after finishing tours in Iraq. Brandon's life is turned upside-down when he's informed that he's being forced to return to Iraq by Title 10, Section 12305(a) of the U.S. military code, generally referred to as "Stop-Loss."

"The fact that Brandon is told he has to go back and his future plans are no longer his own ... is devastating," Phillippe said.

Peirce's inspiration for "Stop-Loss" was personal. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., her brother enlisted in the Army. Despite their mother's protest, Peirce knew she couldn't stop him.

"When he told us, we were shocked ... but he had his mind made up," she said.

An additional inspiration for Peirce was that she lived in New York at the time of the attacks.

"I knew I wanted to work on a soldier's story," she said. "I was already in that mindset."

To research the story, which she co-wrote, Peirce traveled the United States, listening to soldiers' accounts from home and abroad, seeing local parades and going to small-town dances. In talking to soldiers, Peirce was struck by the commitment they had to each other.

"They just kept saying, 'These are the most profound relationships of my life. The fact that I am willing to die for this other person makes me feel powerful, makes me feel connected, makes me feel human.'"

"That bond, that brotherhood [soldiers share], I think, in some ways is even stronger than by birth at times," Phillippe added.

To read Peter Travers' Rolling Stone Review of "Stop-Loss," please click here.