If you are interested in the experiences of American veterans returning from war, consider watching Ashes, which portrays Matt Benning's challenges as he adapts to life in the Midwest. The film highlights his struggles with unemployment, limited family support, and addiction. With no opportunities, resources or a will to move on, Matt’s sister and her boyfriend force him out of their home with hopes of him finding his footing and getting help with his alcohol and prescription meds abuse.

Matt is a handsome, young and mindful man. Instantly, you feel his inner battle between regret from his platoon days and the unknown life he’s fearful of exploring. After two months plagued by intense memories of the harrowing ordeal he faced in the Afghan desert, Matt crosses paths with Brandi—an energetic, encouraging woman offering him a job, a place to live, and unwavering affection.

As he pushes his self-medicating routine to the sidelines to begin a new life managing a gas station convenience store owned by “Uncle Bill” (an incredible return to screen by legendary Michael Ironside), Matt feels the emotional weight on his shoulders start to dissolve. He embraces his newly fulfilling life, enjoying simple yet significant comforts, and gradually his days become lighter compared to the hardships he previously faced.

After two months of a stable but now dull routine, Brandi begins to act noticeably strangely. Texts come in, and she runs off…sometimes for days on end. Annoyed and rightly suspicious, Matt eventually figures out that these jaunts taking Brandi away are controlled by Uncle Bill. And they all involve an excessive and hidden use of meth. The couple, disturbed by enormous secrets, openly discussed their addictions and chaotic lifestyle. Instead of pursuing constructive rehabilitation, Brandi involves Matt in her downward spiral marked by substance abuse and deteriorating well-being. The pair, united by shared trauma, reach a new low when Uncle Bill intervenes in their escalating conflict with aggressive behavior, rage, and highly coercive tactics, asserting his authority through the threat of violence and by withholding supplies, should they fail to comply.

While Brandi yields to the disturbing demands of deranged Bill, Matt’s drug-induced temperament hints at a possible escape from the madness that has trapped him to this horrific perversion. Ashes is a heartbreaking, realistic look into the suffering from PTSD, substance abuse, sexual abuse, loss and depression. This film begins and ends on a tragic note, so do not expect a light-level family flick. The themes are unsettling and dismal. The landscape is dreary and bleak. And the outcome will leave a tragic hole in your heart. As the suffocation of one man’s fading existence may be choking for the viewer, his fight for recovery from this sunken void of emptiness could transform him into a new person.

Or leave only ashes behind.