Due to its popularity and the controversy it engendered, The Best Years of Our Lives stands as one of the most important cultural documents of the post-WWII era. Moreover, with its emphasis on soldiers returning from war with post-traumatic stress syndrome, facing an uncertain economic climate, and strained domestic lives, the film speaks with emotional power directly to contemporary issues, including the devastating injuries and insecurites faced by soldiers returning home from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq today. Among the topics discussed are American neorealism, aesthetics, war and homecoming, and more.