Left to right: Taylor John Smith, Charles Melton and Alex Brockdorff in the A24 film “Warfare.” (Murray Close/A24)

WASHINGTON — The new A24 film “Warfare,” co-created by Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza and the critically acclaimed director Alex Garland, is not just a war movie — it is an effort to accurately depict a 2006 operation in Ramadi, Iraq, in real time and based on the memories of the SEALs who were there.

The film follows a platoon of SEALs tasked with supporting Marines in Ramadi as they occupy an Iraqi family’s home and watch over insurgent territory until their position is attacked. Unlike most movies, it has virtually no time compression — the 1½-hour run time closely mirrors an actual 90-minute period — and it does not leave the city block it is set in. It will be released in theaters on April 11.

“There’s some good war movies out there, but it’s probably told from a director that has never seen combat. This is my attempt to do it,” Mendoza said during a press screening in Washington on Monday.

“Warfare” opens with the text, “This film uses only their memories,” rather than the more common “based on a true story” refrain, a point Garland highlighted at the screening.

The film is based not only on the experiences of Mendoza, a Silver Star recipient, but it is painstakingly reconstructed from the accounts of his platoon-mates, the directors said. They interviewed Mendoza’s comrades, examined their old photos and videos, and cross-referenced the accounts to piece together their best estimation of what took place that day.

The directors sought an ensemble cast that underscored how young Mendoza’s platoon mates were and embodied their essence. “They were representing my best friends, and that was important,” Mendoza said.

It stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Mendoza; Cosmo Jarvis; Will Poulter; Kit Connor; Finn Bennett; Taylor John Smith; Michael Gandolfini; Adain Bradley; Noah Centineo; Evan Holtzman; Henrique Zaga; Joseph Quinn; and Charles Melton.

From right to left: actors Charles Melton and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, U.S. Navy SEAL veteran Elliott Miller, U.S. Army veteran Jeff Craft, Navy SEAL veteran Joe Hildebrand, and writer/co-director Ray Mendoza at the world premiere of “Warfare” in Los Angeles, Calif., Wednesday, March 12th, 2025. (A24)

Garland warned the effort at realism would not be perfect, though he said they got pretty close to the truth. At times Mendoza’s platoon mates had contradictory accounts or hazy recollections, and the work of creating the movie helped shine light on what actually transpired, according to Garland.

Mendoza said he primarily saw the film as a project for his platoon mate Elliot Miller, to whom the film is dedicated. Miller was severely wounded and suffered a traumatic brain injury in the battle shown on screen. He was airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he was in a coma for four weeks. When he woke up, he had no recollection of the combat and was asking questions about it.

Miller’s questions inspired Mendoza to think about ways he could detail the events to his friend. Eventually, the opportunity arose when Garland asked Mendoza to co-create a film on the latter’s time in Iraq.

Mendoza said he wanted Miller to “see what we saw, hear what we heard.” He even wanted Elliot to smell what they smelled, and succeeded when Elliot found that he remembered the smell of smoke grenades once they were used on set.

While making something for Miller was the main intent for Mendoza, he said he also intended for the film to bridge the gap in understanding between those who served and their loved ones.

Mendoza also expressed a third intent behind the film.

“If you’re going to decide to go to war, this is what it looks like. And it’s our youth that goes and fights it. We have the best warriors on the planet, and they will answer that call. I will answer that call, as broken as my body is, as destroyed as my body is, I would do it so that no one else has to.”

A promotional poster for the A24 film “Warfare,” which will be released in theaters on April 11, 2025. (A24)