Mark Walker (Danny Glover) knows firsthand how war can affect a soldier; a consequence of battling PTSD suffered during the Vietnam war. Set in 2008 during the Iraq war, THE DRUMMER revolves around three characters. Walker, living alone in his late 70s, is a Vietnam veteran turned lawyer and political activist who has devoted his life to helping soldiers and veterans. Working out of an “anti-war” coffee house in upstate NY, Walker despairs about ever reaching his political goals. In the course of two days, two soldiers come to Walker for help. Darien (Sam Underwood), late 20s, married with a small child, is awaiting his third deployment. Duty-bound but desperate, Darien tries to decide whether to return to Iraq or possibly flee to Canada. Cori (Prema Cruz), in her early 20s, has been AWOL for a year, harboring a dark secret from the war that she has been unable to reveal to anyone. With the US engaged in seeming perpetual war, the traumatic symptoms suffered abroad will continue to be felt at home. THE DRUMMER depicts the universal devastation and lasting effects of all wars on the human body and psyche.
