War, A (2015) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | War
Tagline: Duty goes beyond battlefield.
The story of a Danish commander, who accused for civil murder in Afghanistan, while trying to save his squad.
Storyline: Company commander Claus M. Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk) and his men are stationed in an Afghan province. Meanwhile back in Denmark Claus' wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is trying to hold everyday life together with a husband at
war and three children missing their father. During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in heavy crossfire and in order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that has grave consequences for him - and his family back home. Written by
Nordisk Film Production A/S
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Michael Reuben, July 9, 2016 The events depicted in A War were inspired by an interview with a Danish soldier returning to Afghanistan for his third tour. Writer/director Tobias Lindholm was
struck by the soldier's comment that the prospect of being killed didn't frighten him nearly as much as the fear that he might be prosecuted for actions taken in the heat of battle. For Lindholm, who was already contemplating a film about Denmark's
involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is the nation's first military operation since World War II, the soldier's sentiment opened a window into a world of moral complexity far removed from daily headlines, which the director proceeded to explore with
the guidance and participation of Danish soldiers, their relatives, various technical advisors and even a Taliban veteran. "I have always liked American Vietnam War movies", Lindholm has said, "and see them as a way for the American society to
collectively process a trauma. This film is my stab at processing Denmark's presence in Iraq and Afghanistan—a process I don't think has remotely begun."
A War was Denmark's official submission to the 2016 Academy Awards, where it was selected as one of five finalists for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (It lost to Son of Saul.)
A War follows the routine activities of a Danish combat unit stationed in the Helmand Province of Afganhistan. The company commander is Claus Michael Petersen (Pilou Asbæk, who played the ship's cook in Lindholm's previous feature, A
Hijacking). As Claus and his unit patrol the surrounding territory in an effort to find and eliminate both buried explosives and the Taliban insurgents who planted them, they are keenly aware of being perpetual targets. They are also aware that, while
their ostensible mission is to protect the local populace, their ability to do so is limited by the official rules of engagement. When a local man whose daughter has received medical aid from the Danish troops brings his family to the unit's camp seeking
shelter from Taliban retaliation, Claus is forced to turn away the family, despite the man's pleas. Not surprisingly, the outcome is tragic.
At home in Denmark, Claus's wife, Maria (Tuva Novotny), struggles to maintain the family household and care for the couple's three young children. Modern technology permits daily phone calls between Claus and his family, but these only make his absence
more keenly felt. The elder son has developed problems at school, which Maria must address on her own, just as she handles every daily chore and mishap.
Lindholm observes these events and interactions with the same cool detachment he applied in A Hijacking. In the Afghanistan scenes, the camera frequently assumes the perspective of one of the helmet-cams worn by members of Claus's unit. The
strategy pays off when the soliders are ambushed and pinned down by heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, as the first-person POV plunges the viewer into the chaos and confusion of battle, where actions are driven by a mix of fear and adrenaline. When one
of his men is badly wounded, Claus makes the fateful decision to request an airstrike to provide cover for a medical evacuation. The unit escapes, but there are civilian casualties, and Claus finds himself yanked from duty and sent home to face criminal
charges.
In A War's tense third act, Claus's actions are dissected and scrutinized in a courtroom. As a tough government prosecutor presents photographs, helmet-cam recordings and testimony reluctantly extracted from members of Claus's unit before an
impassive panel of judges, his attorney attempts to poke holes in the prosecution's case. (The lawyer is played by Søren Malling with the same remote professionalism he brought to his performance as the shipping CEO negotiating with Somali pirates in A
Hijacking.) While the procedures differ substantially from their American counterparts, the sequence effectively captures the surreal sensation of having one's actions reinterpreted with the benefit of hindsight that will be familiar to anyone who has
ever been involved in an adversary proceeding. Meanwhile, the former commander must sit silently replaying and questioning his decision, tormented by the knowledge that his dedication to protecting the lives of his fellow soldiers resulted in the death of
children as innocent as his own.
In both style and subject matter, A War recalls the Sebastian Younger and Tim Hetherington documentary, Restrepo, and its sequel, Korengal, but Lindholm's inclusion of the homefront also aligns his film with works like American
Sniper and Stop-Loss, which trace the ripple effects of warfare beyond the battlefield. "A number on the news, how many people have died, can be hard to relate to", the director has said. "But if you picture all the people who are directly
affected by just one person being stationed, it's a whole different story."
By design, A War avoids engaging with the causes and issues underlying the war in Afghanistan. Lindholm is much more interested in what happens after the decision is made to send soldiers into harm's way, as bonds of interdependence are
formed from mutual danger, conflicting priorities are juggled with life-or-death consequences, and actions taken on instinct produce unexpected and dire results, both on the battlefield and at home. Highly recommended.
[CSW] -2.4- I agree with this reviewer: It's a film that examines the struggle between protocols and survival in combat. It's a better film than 2 stars, but after the hype, it was a disappointing experience. Yes, the dilemma facing the
protagonist as he fights the Taliban in Afghanistan is compelling, but it never comes alive due to the direction and writing. What the film does best is to deliver a Danish legal system slice-o-life. Arguably, this is worth sitting through the otherwise
flat, at-arms-length exposition of Danes at war.
[V4.0-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box
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