208. Woman At War (Kona fer í stríð); movie review

WOMAN AT WAR (KONA FER Í STRÍÐ)
Cert 12A
100 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate injury detail

I have only watched a handful of Icelandic movies since the brilliant Jar City in 2006 but each one has made its mark.
Woman At War is no exception. It is strange, thought-provoking, occasionally funny and splendidly well acted.
From the outset, there is drama when its lead character, Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) is seen sabotaging the country's electricity supply.
She gets away without detection because of her own ingenuity and the presumption of the authorities of what the guilty party's appearance (they repeatedly arrest a single male foreign traveller).
Meanwhile, she receives a letter to say that her application to adopt a child has been accepted after a four-year-wait.
So, should she continue to carry the environmental baton and threaten her single shot at motherhood?
Benedikt Erlingsson's film splendidly juxtaposes the normal life of choir leader Halla and her secret existence as "The Woman Of The Mountain".
She gravitates from singalongs in a local hall to petty vandalism and then high-level industrial sabotage as she attempts to halt negotiations between the Icelandic government and the corporation building a new aluminium smelter. 
But she cannot act alone and it is interesting to see the slow reveal of her allies and what they are prepared to risk.

Geirharðsdóttir's is riveting as the film's focus - playing the role of the environmental saboteur as well as her twin sister who lives in a spiritual commune.

But most credit should go to Erlingsson. His writing creates twists which are surprising but convincing and there are laugh-out-loud funny moments.
And, in common with other Icelandic directors, he uses the dramatic landscape of the country to stunning effect.
Indeed, Woman At War prompted me to think it is about time we visited it.

Reasons to watch: Unusual, thoughtful and occasionally funny
Reasons to avoid: Might be too quirky for some

Laughs: Three
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Avowed environmentalist, Katrin Jakobsdottir, the 41-year-old leader of Left-Green Movement, was elected Prime Minister of Iceland in 2017. 

The final word. Benedikt Erlingsson: "Climate change is a real threat and we are the last generation that can do something about it. It’s a bigger danger than we realise. I also wanted to address the fact that environmentalists and activists who are fighting to preserve the environment easily become enemies of the state."

Share this post