Throat is one of the most moving reactions to the Iraq war that I’ve come across. Is it the utterly convincing and devastating performances of its leads, Raul Castillo and Lisa Sauber? Is it its themes, which are less interested in furthering an agenda and more focused on showing us the emotional and psychological impacts of any war situation, awarding a damaged dignity to the soldiers portrayed? Or perhaps its script, peppered with relatable anecdotes and much-needed doses of humor, even when it ventures into darker territory? It doesn’t matter, really; for whatever reason, all of Throat’s parts add up to a stellar production.

Throat tells the story of Cesar Rodriguez (Castillo), who has just returned from a tour in Iraq and isn’t adjusting too easily. Though he takes pride in his work as a temp for a major company, he’s not relating to people too well…plus, he’s living in a tent and talking to pigeons that aren’t really there, much to the concern of his friend Jack (Todd Spicer), a fellow vet. After a botched one-night stand with Maggie, a free-spirited alcoholic (Sauber), Jack finally gets him to go see a counselor, who turns out to be none other than Maggie herself, who is coping with problems of her own. The play hinges on whether these two can help each other, professionally or through friendship.

Castillo gives an immediately likeable performance, with his childlike smile and wounded demeanor, and he is more than up to the task of bringing forth Cesar’s demons. At first, Maggie seems like she might be one of those annoyingly idiosyncratic women that gets immortalized in pop songs like “Meet Virginia” and “She Talks To Angels,” but the character is more complex than that, and Sauber masterfully portrays a troubled, adult woman with reserves of inner strength. Spicer has some trouble striking an even tone in his initial scenes, but his character rounds out by the play’s conclusion.

During that conclusion, Sauber and Castillo have been driven to tears, unabashedly sobbing over the revelations that have occurred in the play’s final moments. It is to Throat’s credit that we’re crying along with them. War is hell, to be sure, but it is Cesar and Maggie’s own hell that really drives home the tragedy.

Throat runs through Nov. 18 at Flashpoint’s Mead Theatre Lab. Tickets are available online.