Woman at War (2018) (Icelandic Language)- BFI London Film Festival 2018

Review

101min

Genre:     Comedy, Crime, Drama

Director:  Benedikt Erlingsson

Cast:       Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Jóhann Sigurðarson, Juan Camillo…

Writers:   Benedikt Erlingsson and Ólafur Egilsson

-Synopsis-

Middle-aged Icelander ‘Halla’ leads a double life, known to most as an upstanding left-leaning Reykjavik choir director, but moonlighting as a militant environmental activist in rural Iceland, wreaking havoc on the country’s industry in the name of protecting its pristine wilds. But when the net closes in after she escalates her exploits, and her prospects for adoption improve, this determined, irrepressible spirit will be forced to make a tough decision . . . and finally face the consequences of her actions.

For an isolated country of fewer than 350,000 people, the Nordic island nation of Iceland has produced more than its fair share of filmmakers who’ve made an impact well beyond their shores—from Grímur Hákonarson and Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson to Baltasar Kormákur, often telling poignant human tales with a touch of deadpan Icelandic humour, most present in films like the recent ‘Under the Tree’ and Benedikt Erlingsson’s own debut ‘Of Horses and Men’.

Now actor-turned-director Erlingsson makes a triumphant return for his second feature, turning up the comedy several notches and crafting a delightfully idiosyncratic tale of rebellion, in the form of a character piece which perfectly encapsulates the Icelandic spirit, while proving poignant and quirky to a fault.

Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir stars as Reykjavik native Halla, splitting her time between leading a choir as an upstanding citizen, and waging covert warfare against big business as a resourceful militant environmentalist and industrial saboteur—going ‘Rambo’ mode against the national power grid in picturesque rural Iceland, while finding harbour in the arms of local farmer and distant cousin ‘Sveinbjörn’ (Jóhann Sigurðarson). When her application for foreign adoption finally takes shape, and the chance to disrupt an international investment deal with China presents itself, Halla is forced to make a choice which affects more than just her life . . . all while a Sousaphone-led trio plays the delectable soundtrack to her struggles.

‘Woman at War’ is both a borne of an older generation and a film of its time, embodied by its Heroine Hella—a classic leftie, inspired by Ghandi and Mandela and with hippie tendencies, but a 21st century zeal and disdain for authority, an eco-warrior determined to hit the modern world where it hurts . . . its pockets.

And so follows her campaign of sabotage and disruption as a skilled pylon-killer and police-evader in the Icelandic countryside, while things become more complicated in the city when she becomes the anonymous target for the media and the authorities, whilst a battle-scarred Ukranian orphan needs a new mom—but will Halla pay the price for her actions? Or will she have her cake and eat it? . . . and will there be a nail file in it?

This is every inch the delightfully droll character comedy, loaded with bags of idiosyncratic charm and character, but injected with doses of real poignancy at opportune moments, and naturalistically shot by cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson (The Deep, Of Horses and Men) who captures the majesty of the open Icelandic wilderness, which is of course a catalyst for the whole story.

All the wonderfully deadpan and quirky characters play their part, including the perennially unlucky Latino tourist who is both an aside to the story and a key part of it, and a living metaphor for European migration. Yet nothing makes more of an impact here than the music, ranging from a trio of traditional Ukrainian songstresses to a Sousaphone-led folk trio who are arguably the film’s principal co-stars, playing live and interacting with the story as both observers and conspirators, giving us a melodic backdrop and driving the drama, while providing a narrative wink to the audience—but never pulling us out of the story, and adding a layer of charm to the comedy.

However Geirharðsdóttir as Halla is clearly the star here, truly a one-woman-show and a law unto herself as a formidable figure and steadfast pillar of strength, but also doubt and regret, played with a stoicism, humanity and integrity which makes her a righteous rebel and a whole new kind of hero.

Yet ‘Woman at War’ deliberately sidesteps the opportunity to be truly balanced about its flawed and rebellious heroine, understandably sympathising with Halla but resisting the chance to be completely frank about the folly of misguided and ill-considered extremism and militancy—which often causes collective harm while proving more psychologically self-serving than altruistic—despite how well meaning it may be. But to their credit, Erlingsson and his co-writer Ólafur Egilsson leave just enough space for the audience to make that judgement, or not.

‘Woman at War’ is no self-important deconstruction of an activist though, and it’s unapologetic in its social stance, treating it with grace, character and quintessentially humble and honest Nordic humour. This zany but touching character drama surprised us at every turn, ultimately proving a wonderfully unconventional tale of redemption, winning us over right from the start with its charms, while encapsulating the strength of Nordic and Scandinavian cinema—illustrated perfectly by this year’s London Film Festival selection alone.

The Bottom Line…

A delightfully droll, wonderfully quirky cinematic portrait of integrity and rebellion, ‘Woman at War’ proves a winning combination of Icelandic idiosyncrasy and poignant character drama—a memorable tale of determination and second chances with plenty of fight in it, fuelled by musical delights and oodles of heart, and adding to the growing list of cinematic delights from the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’.

‘Woman at War’ is out now in Iceland, and on the 3rd of May 2019 in the UK.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.