Tickets are available for the last film of the Comox Valley Winter Film Series – Woman at War – on Wednesday, April 10 at Landmark Cinemas.
As a follow-up to his 2013 film Of Horses and Men, director Benedikt Erlingsson delivers Iceland’s nominee submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards: Woman at War, a timely film that speaks to social issues with wit and warmth.
Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir in a bravura performance) is a choirmaster who loves her job. And, she’s just learned she’s been approved to adopt a child from a war-torn area in Ukraine, a longtime dream of hers.
The only hitch is that Halla is also a terrorist — an eco-terrorist to be exact. The proliferation of heavy industry, urged on by unscrupulous politicians, has been ruining Iceland’s rugged landscape and she’s taken action. Dubbed the Mountain Woman, Halla soon becomes the scourge of the aluminum industry. She is determined to see things through… but she can’t help wondering, would it be more fulfilling to save hypothetical future lives or one actual life: the daughter she has yet to meet and may never if she’s apprehended. Erlingsson’s second feature drills deep into the inevitable dilemmas plaguing almost everyone committed to the greater good. And the political satire here is precise and rich.
A tiny jazz band follows Halla everywhere she goes — on rooftops, in remote fields, in the middle of a flood — sometimes joined by a cadre of singers in traditional Ukrainian dress. It’s a reminder that the revolution should be hopeful, not just gloom and doom. And it should come with cool music.
WOMAN AT WAR by Benedikt Erlingsson - Trailer (ENG sub) from slot machine on Vimeo.
“Is there anything rarer than an intelligent feel-good film that knows how to tackle urgent global issues with humour as well as a satisfying sense of justice? Look no further than Woman at War.”
—Jay Weissberg, Variety
The film series, an ongoing fundraiser for Comox Valley Art Gallery, screens films from the Toronto International Film Festival through TIFF – Film Circuit.
Tickets are $14 for CVAG members and $15 for non-members.
To purchase tickets over the phone call CVAG at 250-338-6211, ext 1 or drop by the CVAG shop at 580 Duncan Avenue in Courtenay. Please note: on the day of the screening, depending on availability, tickets can be purchased at Landmark Cinemas after 4 p.m.
Thank you to our enthusiastic filmgoers for your ongoing support.
This has been our most successful season by far! We look forward to seeing you in September when our Fall Series kicks off. If you wish to be put on an email list for advanced notice of upcoming films, call Quinn at 250-218-6718.