''Woman at War'' (''Kona fer í stríð'', literally ''Woman goes to battle'') is a 2018 Icelandic-Ukrainian comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by

Benedikt Erlingsson Benedikt Erlingsson (born 31 May 1969) is an Icelandic actor and theater director, theater and film director. He graduated from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 1994 and has been with the National Theater of Iceland for most of his career. He h ...

, and starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. 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 This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

91st Academy Awards The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018 and took place on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, ...

ceremony, but it was not nominated.

Premise

Halla, a choir conductor and eco-activist, plans to disrupt the operations of a

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...

aluminium plant in the

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic 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 Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

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. All the while, the film's soundtrack players, consisting of a three-man band and Ukrainian traditional singers, interacts with the plot and characters.

Cast

* Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir as Halla / Ása * Jörundur Ragnarsson as Baldvin *

Jóhann Sigurðarson Jóhann Sigurðarson (born 21 April 1956) is an Icelandic actor, voice actor and singer. He is known for his role as Leifur in '' Trapped'' and ''The Minister''. Career Jóhann graduated from the Icelandic Drama School in 1981. He has been in ...

as Sveinbjörn *Juan Camilo Román Estrada as Juan *Vala Kristin Eiriksdottir as Stefania *Haraldur Stefansson as Gylfi Blöndal *Jon Johanson as The Farmer *

Jón Gnarr Jón Gnarr (; born 2 January 1967)This is an Icelandic name. ''Kristinsson'' is the patronymic, but he is properly referred to as ''Jón Gnarr'' as he had it legally removed. is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Ma ...

as President of the Republic of Iceland *Þórhildur Ingunn as Sírry *Margaryta Hilska as Nika *

Hilmir Snær Guðnason Hilmir Snær Guðnason (born 24 January 1969, in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic actor and voice actor. He is famous in his native country and has appeared in both film and on stage. In 2000 he was named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by ...

as Taxi-guy Galyna Goncharenko, Susanna Karpenko & Iryna Danyleiko plays the trio of Ukrainian singers. The band is played by Magnús Trygvason Eliassen (drummer), Omar Gudjonsson (sousaphonist) and Davíð Þór Jónsson (accordion & pianist).

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. The film won the

Nordic Council Film Prize The Nordic Council Film Prize is an annual film prize administered by the Nordic Council. The Nordisk Film & TV Fond is the funding body that administers the prize. History The first award was handed out in 2002 to celebrate the Nordic Council's ...

and the Lux prize award of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

for 2018. It also was voted the audience award at the

Tromsø International Film Festival The Tromsø International Film Festival (TIFF) is an annual film festival held during the third week of January in Tromsø, Norway. The inaugural Tromsø International Film Festival was held in 1991. TIFF has 5 screening venues, including one ...

in Norway in January 2019.

Reception

Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...

, for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', praised Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir's "attractive and sympathetic performance" as Halla, and called it a "well-turned, well-tuned" film that was "confidently and rather stylishly made". Jay Weissberg, for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', called the film "a delightful follow-up to ''

Of Horses and Men ''Of Horses and Men'' ( is, Hross í oss) is a 2013 Icelandic drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Benedikt Erlingsson and produced by fellow director Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. The film was selected as the Icelandi ...

''", 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 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and Nelson Mandela".

Remake

On 11 December 2018, it was announced that

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the hono ...

was to direct and star in an English remake.

References

External links

* {{Icelandic submissions for the Academy Award 2018 comedy-drama films 2018 films Eco-terrorism in fiction French comedy-drama films Icelandic comedy-drama films Ukrainian comedy-drama films War in Donbas films Films directed by Benedikt Erlingsson 2010s French films