Real Fake War is a deeply personal documentary short that tells the story of Travis “TJ” Truax, a Marine combat veteran struggling to cope with PTSD through war reenacting. As a troubled teen TJ joined the Marines to find a sense of purpose, but he wasn’t prepared for what he would experience overseas. Upon returning to the states and leaving the Marine Corps years later, his teenage hobby of war reenacting took on a new, deeper meaning. For TJ, reenacting and his deployment to Afghanistan blend together as he navigates his life after the end of 20 years of war in the middle east, the onset of PTSD, and the loss of his friends to suicide.