It seems only right that a crowd of veterans were the first to see Warfare, U.S. Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza's feature directorial debut, co-written and co-directed with Alex Garland. On Wednesday night,

After its Los Angeles premiere, 'Warfare' directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland unpack their brutal (and ripped-from-very-real-life) war film.

Hitting theaters next month, the A24 war feature is based on the real-life experiences of co-director Ray Mendoza.

As Garland, Mendoza, and the actors discuss in the first look, Mendoza made Warfare for fellow veteran Elliot Miller (Jarvis), who was on the operation depicted in the film but does not recall it. "It's just a love letter from Ray to Elliot," Melton says.