Life back home isn't much easier; he passes his time doing clean-up work at a lumber mill or tending to his injured leg at his barely furnished apartment.

The veteran recovered well, largely because he had a tight family to lean on for whatever support he needed, but told stories of some of his buddies who had to deal with issues that were "not just the physical or the psychological, but the bureaucratic" that Ryan had never heard before.

"[12] Film Threat in its 2012 review praised the "realism and humanity" in a "slow-boiling drama" that puts the burden on the performers to keep the audience engaged.

"[13] Dances With Films called Fray "the Coming Home for this generation of veterans of foreign wars" and said it will break the viewer's heart, "only to put it back together stronger than it was before.

[15] The Los Angeles Times called Fray "a stirring and involving character study that may not cover much new ground but still packs a quiet punch."

Though numerous films have tackled the story of war veterans struggling to return to civilian life, Goldstein suggested that film-goers "give Fray a chance.