‘Turmoil' is this first-time San Diego filmmaker's chance to say something to help other veterans

Dante Trinidad couldn't go back, so he moved forward with a project he hoped would help other veterans like himself. A hospital corpsman in the Navy who served as a medic for the Marines during the war in Iraq in 2004, his transition from active duty to civilian life was "rough."

"I did not realize I was suffering from PTSD," he says. "A lot of alcoholism and placing my life in danger, like barfights, was very frequent."

While he found a way to cope through martial arts, not everyone in the veteran community has been so fortunate.

San Diego County is home to one of the largest military veteran populations in the United States, with more than an estimated 200,000 veterans residing here in 2025, according to population estimates from the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans is significant, negatively impacting mental health, impairing daily functioning and interpersonal relationships, and leading to a hesitance to access services and treatment due to continued stigma around mental health care. The overall prevalence of PTSD continuing throughout the life of a veteran is 7%, and that can go as high as 80% among those who were stationed in war zones, according to "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: A Concept Analysis" from the journal Behavioral Sciences. Alcohol use disorders are among the most common substance use issues for military members, and those exposed to combat are more likely to misuse alcohol than those without combat exposure, based on updated 2024 reporting from VeteranAddiction.org, an outlet of American Addiction Centers, Inc., a provider of residential and outpatient addiction treatment services.

An encounter at the martial arts studio where he trains, led to Trinidad writing, producing and directing his first feature-length film, "Turmoil," about a veteran experiencing homelessness after returning from war who finds community and help at a neighborhood martial arts gym. The project had no budget and a cast of first-time actors that includes real-life veterans, nurses, doctors, active-duty military personnel, chaplains and martial artists.

"The idea for ‘Turmoil' came directly from the world I've lived in for years. I've spent 13 years as a nurse at the VA, taking care of veterans battling PTSD and alcoholism - struggles I know personally. Martial arts became my own way of coping, and I eventually became a kickboxing instructor at Arashi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is owned by my friend, Drue Ferguson, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) veteran," he says. "One day, one of Drue's EOD brothers came into the gym and just started hitting the bags. I could see the weight he was carrying, and I wanted to talk to him, but the moment slipped by. The next day, I learned he had taken his own life. ‘Turmoil' is the conversation that never happened. It's the message of hope I wish I could have given him, and the reminder that community, connection and even a single conversation can change the trajectory of someone's life."

Trinidad, 46, lives in Otay Mesa with his daughter, Dana; he and his younger brothers all served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's a registered nurse at VA San Diego Health Care in La Jolla, in the medical-surgical and oncology unit, and a Muay Thai and martial arts instructor at Arashi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It took about two years to finish his 81-minute movie, and "Turmoil" has been recognized and awarded at about half a dozen film festivals. He took some time to talk about the project and how he hopes it can help others. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity. )

Q: Walk us through your creative process for making this film.

A: My creative process for "Turmoil" was as unconventional as the film itself. One of my students, Shaira, helped me sketch out a loose outline and parts of the script, but the script was essentially written on the fly. I shaped scenes around the real schedules and real lives of the people involved. In total, about 30 people were part of the team - production, cast, crew and the community that held the film together. We began shooting in early 2023 and filmed all over San Diego County. We shot in Memorial Park, Coronado's The Landing, Imperial Beach, the Jiu-Jitsu dojo, the Iris Avenue trolley station (in Otay Mesa), Pacific Beach, Mission Trails Regional Park, Jamul for the Iraq sequences and Sunset Cliffs. Every location was chosen because it felt lived‑in and honest to the world of the story.

Casting was completely organic. There were no auditions. I cast people on the spot based on instinct - if I felt someone could project truth on camera, that was enough. Most of the cast had never acted before, so I had a rule: Once we started a scene, they couldn't break character. That kept everything raw and authentic. When casting, I got rejected many times. Some people thought I was crazy because of my inexperience; some agreed to be in the film and then never showed up, totally ghosting us. Now, with the film's success, some of those same people suddenly want to be part of it. I have a simple rule: I ask once, and never again.

Q: What have you seen, both in your experiences in the military and in health care working with veterans, that informed your telling this story "from the inside, by people who actually live (these stories)"?

A: My experiences as a Navy combat medic, and later as a nurse caring for veterans, shaped "Turmoil" in every way. In the military, I saw firsthand how trauma follows you home, how it changes the way you move through the world, and how veterans often hide their pain behind humor, silence or toughness. Later, working 13 years at the VA, I treated veterans battling PTSD, alcoholism, homelessness, and the kind of invisible wounds that don't show up on imaging, but shape every part of a person's life. I wasn't just observing these struggles, I was living with my own PTSD at the same time.

That's why I wanted this story told from the inside, by people who actually live it. Veterans have a specific rhythm, a specific way of talking, a specific kind of brotherhood that outsiders rarely capture. I've seen the darkest moments: friends taking their own lives, patients breaking down in hospital rooms, families trying to hold things together. But I've also seen the resilience, the loyalty, and the way a single conversation or a safe space - like a martial arts gym - can pull someone back from the edge.

Everything in "Turmoil" comes from that lived reality. The way the characters shut down, the way they open up only when they feel safe, the way they carry their trauma quietly until it spills over - none of it is dramatized, none of it is Hollywood. It's the truth of the veteran experience, told by someone who has walked that path and by a community that trusted me to tell it right.

Q: What kind of influence has your upbringing, your culture, had on your storytelling?

A: My upbringing and culture shape every part of my storytelling. I grew up Filipino American on Guam, in a community where humor, resilience and loyalty were survival tools. In our culture, you don’t abandon people – you carry them, you feed them, you sit with them in their darkest moments. That sense of family, of chosen community, is at the heart of “Turmoil.”

Living in Japan for two years while serving in the Navy, that added another layer. I absorbed the sense of honor, humility and community there. The idea that discipline isn’t about perfection, it’s about showing up for yourself and others. That philosophy is woven into the martial arts elements of the film and into the way the characters relate to each other.

All of that – Filipino warmth, Guam toughness, Japanese discipline, veteran brotherhood – comes together in my storytelling. I’m drawn to stories about people who are hurting but still trying, people who find family in unexpected places, people who survive through humor, loyalty and heart.

My culture taught me that, even in struggle, there is dignity; even in chaos, there is community; and, even in the darkest moments, there is always a way back if someone reaches out a hand. That’s the spirit behind “Turmoil.” It’s not just a film, it’s the way I was raised.

Q: How did you make this movie with no budget? How did you secure all of the elements you needed (cameras, audio, lighting, costuming, etc.)?

A: I used camping lights from Amazon, I borrowed uniforms from friends, I rigged a cheap camera that was not meant for full feature films for it to shoot cinematically. I bought props from Home Depot, and that was a major game-changer. Many times, the actors would be the cameramen or vice versa – a camera guy would be thrust into an action stunt.

Q: What is the message you want to share through this film? What do you want to say?

A: That you are not alone. God and the community are with you and good things will come.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 6:19 AM.