Original title: Kona fer í stríð 

Iceland/France/Ukraine  –  Comedy/Drama  –  Year: 2018  –  Running time: 101 mins
Languages: Icelandic, Spanish, English, Ukrainian

Audience response:

Rating: (4.6 from 30 responses)

• Excellent’: 21 votes
• ‘Very Good’: 6 votes
• ‘Good’: 3 votes
• ‘Satisfactory’: 0 votes
• ‘Poor’: 0 votes

Read the comments here or visit our “Woman at War” discussion page

Synopsis:

Those of you who enjoyed Of Horses And Men from the 2015-16 season will not be disappointed by Erlingsson’s second feature. Halla is a bike-riding, guerrilla eco-warrior, striving to save the beautiful Icelandic countryside (and the whole world!) while leading the local choir and attempting to adopt a child.

Not to get all alliterative about it, but “Woman at War” is something wonderful.
Kenneth Turan (LA Times)

Director: Benedikt Erlingsson
Of Horses And Men (2013) 
Leading Cast:
Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir               …      Halla / Ása
Jóhann Sigurðarson                     …      Sveinbjörn
Juan Camillo Roman Estrada      …      Juan Camillo
Jörundur Ragnarsson                  …      Baldvin
(for full cast and more information, see “Woman at War” in IMDB)

Film Notes:

Icelandic actor, turned director, Benedikt Erlingsson’s second feature combines the droll absurdity of Icelanding cinema with a topical eco-terrorism plot and a truly memorable soundtrack.

Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, plays Halla, by day an unassuming choir teacher, but a committed ecowarrior, bent on ridding Iceland of an unwanted aluminium processing plant, by night. As police and army increase efforts to trace the perpetrator, her campaign suddenly becomes more complicated when she receives an approval for a long-forgotten application to adopt a Ukrainian orphan and, at the same time her twin sister Ása (also played by Geirharðsdóttir), a Yoga Instructor who was to be her sister’s adoption back-up in case of emergencies, announces plans to move to an Ashram in India for two years.  Potential motherhood introduces new-found responsibility and a need for an unblemished criminal record.

There is a lightness of touch both in direction and performance that prevents the film descending into a blunt-edge diatribe on irresponsible commerce destroying our planet, but instead becomes an intriguing character study.  Much of the humour in the film comes from the musicians that provide the film’s soundtrack, an Icelandic Folk Trio and three colourful Ukrainian a cappella singers.  These players pop in and out of the action as accompaniment and silent commentary, occasionally providing musical cues to Halla (seemingly the only one who can see them).  In addition, there is a second cameo appearance from the hapless Spanish Tourist, Juan Camillo (last seen being rescued from the carcass of his dead horse in Of Horses And Men) enduring a second Icelandic Holiday in Hell.

Selected UK reviews:

The Observer (Mark Kermode) 
Sight & Sound (Nikki Baughan)
Little White Lies (Amiee Knight)