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Woman at War

Released Mar 1, 2019 1h 41m Comedy Drama Mystery & Thriller TRAILER for List
97% Tomatometer 120 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Halla is a 50-year-old environmental activist who crusades against the local aluminum industry in Iceland. As her actions grow bolder, her life changes in the blink of an eye when she's finally granted permission to adopt a girl from the Ukraine.
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Woman at War

Woman at War

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Critics Consensus

Treating its timely themes with a deceptively light touch, Woman at War is easy to enjoy in the moment, yet its impact lingers long after the closing credits roll.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow AWFJ.org It is especially welcome, as political discourse seems irretrievably partisan to see this refreshing take on environmental activism, told with gentle humor and a nuanced take on work-life balance. Oct 26, 2021 Full Review Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader Strikingly original and immensely entertaining. Mar 11, 2020 Full Review Linda Marric HeyUGuys Full of heart and soul, Woman. at War is a triumphant and exciting film, and unlike anything you've seen before. Rated: 5/5 May 11, 2019 Full Review Jane Freebury The Canberra Times (Australia) A light, whimsical touch on weighty subjects as a woman archer steps up to take on corporate vandals destroying the Icelandic environment. Aug 18, 2022 Full Review Jennifer Merin AWFJ.org Woman at War is a quirky, satirical and complicated ecomelodrama that thoroughly entertains while challenging viewers to contemplate the disharmonic contradictions between the call to environemental activism and the pursuit of inner peace. Oct 26, 2021 Full Review MaryAnn Johanson AWFJ.org Geirharðsdóttir is simultaneously tough and vulnerable as a smart, methodical environmental warrior... Oct 26, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Josh B If you are suffering fatigue at the hands of genre films and derivative dross and arthouse films that demand toothpicks to keep your eyelids open, let alone the 8th installment of some franchise whose original was not-that-good or the politically correct film that garnered fantastic reviews but could double as anaesthesia ... then watch this film. Original, dazzling, smart, important, compelling. Comes complete with its own Greek chorus. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review Russ C Just watched this in our local community hall; loved it. It's a very amusing film, with a surrealist streak running through it; but the underlying theme of one person taking on the capitalist world - while having responsibility for others - cuts deep. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/04/23 Full Review David J Wonderful whimsical window into our collective guilt. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/16/22 Full Review isla s I really enjoyed this film - the quirkiness and perhaps even surrealism, or absurdism, of traditional folk singers and bands appearing in weird environments made me laugh. The underlying story was quite interesting - certainly thought provoking and I liked the central character, what she was trying to do and how she defended herself to others with clearly differing ideas/opinions. I would definitely recommend this film to others, especially if your interested in environmentalism. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I rented this with the idea it might be a story similar to Edward Abbey's novel, _The Monkeywrench Gang_. It was that, but there was more to it that made it a truly memorable film. For one thing, all of the music heard in the film was filmed live on screen along with the action as it unfolds on the screen. I think this is a trend that was started in Denmark some years ago, but it is used especially effectively here. The musicians, a drummer, a tuba player and an accordion player/pianist along with three female singers, keenly observe the action and, on rare occasions, the actors react to the musicians, which creates an interesting surreal aspect to the film. The music has an Eastern European flavor. It reminded me of the famous Bulgarian choir whose name eludes me at the moment. I guess they are meant to represent the small role the Ukraine plays in the plot. (The child to be adopted is Ukrainian.) This reminds me of a devised-theatre production of Jane Eyre I saw in London recently where the musicians occupy prominent spots on the stage and are intended to be seen and not just heard. And several other recent "plays with music" such as The Victorian in the Wall also take this approach to music, giving it a prominent role in the plot, almost as if it were another character. On a related note, the Wikipedia page for the film mentions that an American remake is in the works and that Jodie Foster has been designated to direct it and act in it. I have mixed feelings about that. Why does everything have to be translated to an American context? Do we really need to shut ourselves off from the rest of the world in this way? And what's wrong with watching a film in a language you don't understand? People from small countries like Iceland do it all the time. But it's not just foreign-language films that do this. Consider The Office, which apparently wasn't good enough as a British series but had to be translated to an American context, or The Wickerman, the masterpiece that was completely ruined at the hands of Hollywood. Not to knock Hollywood. Hollywood does great films its own way. But why not stick to what we know best and let the rest of the world make their own unique contributions? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Humorous, creative depiction of a one-woman revolution. Beautiful cinematography, as well as depiction of courage and insanitytha is hard to reconcile. So glad I stumbled upon this brilliant film! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Halla is a 50-year-old environmental activist who crusades against the local aluminum industry in Iceland. As her actions grow bolder, her life changes in the blink of an eye when she's finally granted permission to adopt a girl from the Ukraine.
Director
Benedikt Erlingsson
Producer
Marianne Slot, Benedikt Erlingsson, Carine Leblanc
Screenwriter
Benedikt Erlingsson, Ólafur Egilsson
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Production Co
Köggull Filmworks, Slot Machine, Solar Media Entertainment, Gulldrengurinn, Vintage Pictures
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Icelandic
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 1, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$844.1K
Runtime
1h 41m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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