Inside Phoenix ⋆ The Costa Rica News

And just like a Marvel movie, Phoenix ends with a post-credit moment that includes a creator cameo. As we begin at the end, it invites a collective pause—something that feels necessary when taking in this unexpected 34-minute rock opera film crafted in Costa Rica by Bruce and Kenneth Callow. The original songs in the soundtrack, drawn from Bruce’s own life journey, are woven together with newsreel footage and animation to build a powerful story. Phoenix tells the story of Adam, a Canadian Army Reservist who served with United Nations peacekeeping forces in Croatia in 1993—a mission where, in reality, there was little peace to keep—and the quiet, painful struggle that follows him home. The film unfolds with a dreamlike quality, blending music, archival footage, and inner turmoil, allowing the audience to feel rather than analyze trauma. Each song marks a stage in Adam’s post-war journey.

Viewers will experience this film differently depending on their point in history and experiences. What stands out most, on reflection, is the power of hope—something our world urgently needs. The use of Canadian UN peacekeepers is especially meaningful. Growing up, I came to understand groups like the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry through my grandfather, a World War II veteran of the Royal Canadian Signal Corps. He would point to UN peacekeepers as examples of people trying to bring peace out of the chaos of conflict.

Yet being a UN Peacekeeper is far from simple. Wearing the blue helmet means stepping directly into the heart of darkness. It is difficult to see this role as a “blessing,” yet in those moments, even small acts of protection or compassion can bring hope—sometimes even to just one person.

This thread of hope stretched from the Suez Crisis through to Rwanda. The events in Rwanda, powerfully described by Roméo Dallaire in Shake Hands with the Devil, showed how that hope can be overwhelmed by tragedy. During the 1990s, a new and more complicated reality began to shape the world of peacekeeping.That reality continued in the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Bosnia. There was a growing sense that the world could slip into a wider conflict. Watching wars unfold live on television—from the Gulf War to Afghanistan—made the reality even more immediate. For the first time, Canadians saw the return of fallen soldiers in a very visible way. These were young people who would never again see their homes. Coming from a family with a long history of military service, this reality has always been close to me. It shaped my later work with people experiencing homelessness in Calgary, including many veterans.

The images and musical messages of Phoenix bring to mind the reality many Canadian veterans shared with me in rough camps and on emergency mats, as I worked with the Veterans Affairs administrationto find them a home. This was the reality built through actual newsreel footage, AI animation, new songs and resurrected songs (like a Phoenix), to bring Adam’s story to the screen as a modern parable of the power of healing when we look at what unites us, not divides us.

From there, the film naturally connects to present-day conflicts, including Ukraine and the Middle East. One of the most difficult realities to face in the film is the presence of child soldiers—young people drawn into violence through manipulation and force. In homeless shelters in Calgary, I have seen how war touches people from all sides: Canadian veterans, those from allied and opposing nations, and refugees fleeing violence.

Phoenix reminds us that many of the promises of peacekeeping have not been fulfilled. The image of the phoenix rising is both hopeful and challenging. It asks us to confront the gap between our words and our actions in 2026.This tension—the struggle between what we are and what we might become—finds expression in the imagery of the dove and the gargoyles, emerging as Adam, descends to his emotional nadir under the weight of PTSD.

Whew.

Take a moment to catch your breath. Ask yourself: what image does the blue flag and helmet bring to mind? What is your honest view of those who return from war? Not the polite answers we repeat on November 11, but what you truly feel when you see a veteran struggling on the street, facing mental health challenges or addiction. What are our responsibilities—both collective and personal—to those we send into conflict?

The struggle between the dove and the gargoyle, experienced in the main character’s darkest moments in the film, reflects something deeper about humanity. Will we change before it is too late? Can we move beyond this stage of conflict into something more mature—where our shared humanity allows all of us to thrive?

As you prepare to watch Phoenix, take a moment to sit with these questions. Consider watching it with others and discussing it afterward.

Reflective Discussion Questions

1. What is your understanding/history of UN Peacekeepers?
2. When did you first feel the tug of loss of hope in our world’s geopolitical conflicts?
3. Which song or songs, words or rhythms connect with you? Why? Which ones don’t, and why?
4. What does the idea of never leaving the Cold War mean to you? How does it relate to today’s world?
5. In Adam’s journey, what role did community play in helping him come home?
6. What role could community have played if he had been lost and buried in a pauper’s cemetery?
7. Where do you see a small piece of hope in your own life right now?

Ty Ragan, Psy.D., is a Canadian psychologist, writer, speaker, and educator, as well as a survivor of PTSD, PNES, and stroke, with a focus on belonging, trauma, and recovery. A father of two,, he is also a lifelong fan of science fiction and comics, and an engaged observer of culture, history, and current events.

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