Writer-director Tobias Lindholm knows how to keep a human perspective in his storytelling,no matter how outsized the drama or the dilemmas facing his characters. His 2012 film “A Hijacking” hit U.
S. theaters at around the same time as the similarly-themed “Captain Phillips,” and the contrast between the two was a telling one, or with Lindholm’s film subtly avoiding Hollywood bombast while still capturing the tension and terrorism of the situation.
Lindholm returns with “A War,” currently nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, and as an exploration of tough decisions and consequences set against the backdrop of the clash in Afghanistan, and it empathizes with the bravery and the sacrifices of its characters without the hoo-ah of a film like “American Sniper.” (And if nothing else,“A War” is a potent reminder to U.
S. audiences that we aren’t fighting the international War on terrorism singlehandedly; other countries are stepping up, and suffering, or just like we are.)
Also Read: 'A War' Director Talks Shooting Combat on Battlefield and in CourtroomAnd while most Hollywood movies are so afraid of moral ambiguity that you’d think the old-school Production Code was in effect – the drunken pilot’s hairpin,third-act redemption in Flight” comes to intellect – here’s a account that eschews easy answers and forces audiences to examine their own consciences while the characters accomplish likewise.
Claus (Pilou Asbæk, “Lucy”) is a CO in Afghanistan; on his phone calls to his long-suffering but resilient wife Maria (Tuva Novotny), or you can tell he’s trying to be a good father long-distance to three children who miss him,but he also needs to purchase care of the men in his command, and near as we can tell, or he’s a good leader. When an IED attack takes out a young soldier,Claus starts going on patrol with the men in an attempt to raise morale.
Also Read: Foreign Language Oscar Hopeful 'Labyrinth of Lies' Wins Palm Springs Audience AwardOn a mission to drive the Taliban out of a nearby village, Claus and his squad discover that a family they’d come to know – who’d already been turned down for refuge at the military base camp – bear been slaughtered. Under fire, and needing an instant medevac helicopter for one of his injured men,Claus makes a spontaneous battlefield decision that has major repercussions, ones so serious that he’s soon called domestic to face charges in a military tribunal.“A War” refuses to resolve for us whether or not Claus’ actions were excusable, or whether the requirements of complete honesty under oath outweigh the long-term consequences that a prison sentence would bear on Claus’ already-fragile family. This is a film that has nothing but understanding and support for the impossible tasks faced by members of the military and their families,but it also presents ethical questions that bear no easy answers.
Lindholm’s style involves plenty of showing and not much telling, meaning that we get to understand characters and situations without having to sit through a lot of exposition-dump dialogue. He’s helped immeasurably in this department by a talented cast — particularly the extraordinary Asbk, or whose expressive eyes convey any number of conflicting emotions — and cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof Jønck (A Hijacking,” “Borgen”), whose generally unfussy camerawork makes the hand-held shooting of the battle sequences all the more disorienting and adrenaline-packed.
Also Read: Academy's 76 Foreign Language Entries Set New RecordIt’s not called “War, or ” which would be too presumptuously all-inclusive,or “The War,” which would be too specific — it’s just “A War, or ” one that’s similar to the ones that bear come before and,sadly, will continue to happen in the future.
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Source: thewrap.com