Woman at War

Woman at War (Kona fer í stríð) is a 2018 Icelandic-Ukrainian comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Benedikt Erlingsson, and starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir.

Not to be confused with Women at War.

Woman at War
Film poster
Directed byBenedikt Erlingsson
Produced by
  • Benedikt Erlingsson
  • Carine Leblanc
  • Marianne Slot
Written by
  • Benedikt Erlingsson
  • Ólafur Egill Egilsson
Starring
  • Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir
  • Davíð Þór Jónsson
  • Magnús Trygvason Eliasen
  • Ómar Guðjónsson
  • Jóhann Sigurðarson
Music byDavíð Þór Jónsson
CinematographyBergsteinn Björgúlfsson
Edited byDavíð Alexander Corno
Release date
Running time
101 minutes
Country
  • Iceland
  • France
  • Ukraine
Language
  • Icelandic
  • Spanish
  • English
  • Ukrainian
Budget$2.9 million
Box office$4.1 million[1][2]

Following a premiere at 2018 Cannes Film Festival via the International Critics' Week, it was released on 22 May 2018 to critical acclaim and selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, but it was not nominated.[3][4][5]

Premise

Halla, a choir conductor and eco-activist, plans to disrupt the operations of a Rio Tinto aluminium plant in the Icelandic highlands, purposely damaging electricity pylons and wires to cut their power supply.

One day, a long-forgotten application to adopt an orphan child from Ukraine is approved. At the same time, the government ramps up police and propaganda efforts in order to catch and discredit her. The film revolves around her attempts to reconcile her dangerous and illegal activism with the upcoming adoption.[6][7] All the while, the film's soundtrack, consisting of a three-man band and Ukrainian traditional singers, interacts with the plot and characters.[8][9]

Accolades

Woman at War was shown at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, in the International Critics' Week section, where the screenwriters won the SACD award.[10] The film won the Nordic Council Film Prize[11] and the Lux prize award of the European Parliament for 2018.[12]

It also was voted the audience award at the Tromsø International Film Festival in Norway in January 2019.[13]

Reception

Peter Bradshaw, for The Guardian, praised Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir's 'attractive and sympathetic performance' as Halla, and called the film a 'well-turned, well-tuned oddity' that was 'confidently and rather stylishly made'.[6]

Jay Weissberg, for Variety, called the film 'a delightful follow-up to Of Horses and Men', and praised the director for 'arranging beautifully shot picaresque episodes around a central figure who lives the ideals of the heroes she has hanging on her wall, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela'.[7]

Remake

On 11 December 2018, it was announced that Jodie Foster was to direct and star in an English remake.[14][15]

See also

References
  1. "Kona fer í stríð (Woman at War)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  2. "Kona fer í stríð (Woman at War)". The Numbers. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. "Фильм, которым можно гордиться: украинскую киноленту выдвинули на Оскар". Politeka. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. Kozlov, Vladimir (20 September 2018). "Oscars: Iceland Selects 'Woman at War' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. Abbatescianni, Davide (21 September 2018). "The Guilty enters the Oscars race for Denmark, Woman at War for Iceland". Cineuropa. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  6. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/12/woman-at-war-review-benedikt-erlingsson-horses-men-icelandic-drama-pylon
  7. https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/woman-at-war-review-1202808656/
  8. Turan, Kenneth. "Review: 'Woman at War' is wall-to-wall wacky, and wonderful". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  9. "Davíð Þór Jónsson - Harpa nominated 2019 for his score for Benedikt Erlingsson Woman at war / Kona fer í stríð". Nordic Film Music Days.
  10. "Diamantino comes out on top in the Cannes Critics' Week". Cineuropa. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  11. "Nordic Council Film Prize - Winners and Nominees 2018". nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  12. https://luxprize.eu/
  13. "TROMSØ AUDIENCE AWARD".
  14. Geoff Boucher (11 December 2018). "'Woman At War': Jodie Foster To Direct & Star In English Version Of Iceland's Oscar Entry". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. Birgir Olgeirsson (11 December 2018). "Ég get ekki beðið eftir að leika Höllu". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 December 2018.
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