A War Film Difficulty Ranking:3
If you enjoy watching people try to deal with high pressure scenarios then check out A War. A husband and wife face two uniquely high pressure situations – the husband in organising his squadron in Afghanistan, and his wife in bringing up 3 kids on her own. Unfortunately the husband is the first to crack and the consequences are bad.
From: Denmark, Europe
Watch: Trailer, Netflix, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Hurt Locker, Manchester by the Sea, The Insult
Why Watch A War?
- Experience a few months working as a soldier in Afghanistan
- Experience life as a single parent
- See how emotions can be manipulated on film
- Question whether punishment is always necessary
The Breakdown
A War starts with a group of soldier patrolling a region in rural Afghanistan. They are walking in a line across barren land with no signs of life anywhere. However, in the opening minutes, one of the soldiers accidentally triggers a hidden mine, blowing off both of his legs. His team panic as his life quickly drifts away.
It’s a horrific start to the film, and a quick reminder of what war can do. We follow Claus, the leader of the squadron, in the aftermath of the loss of one of their team. He has to manage his team in incredibly high pressure situations and try to keep his team safe and in high spirits.
Meanwhile, Claus’ wife is struggling to manage their 3 kids on her own. She also has to think quickly in different high pressure situations; one being when her youngest kid swallows a pot of pills and has to be rushed to the hospital to get his stomach pumped. Just like her husband, she has to take care of her kids and help them each through their childhood.
As the film progresses, the parents face uniquely high pressure situations. Each one is like another straw on the camel’s back: it’s only a matter of time until one of them breaks.
How we the director manipulates our emotions
When Claus orders in an air strike in an attempt to clear a route for his injured soldier to be taken to safety, he doesn’t have time to think about the consequences. In fact, director Tobias Lindholm doesn’t even mention the consequences until the following day, that the airstrike he ordered killed 11 civilians, including women and children.
Because we learn at the same time as him, the thought that his airstrike could have killed civilians probably hasn’t crossed our minds. The accidental massacre comes as a surprise to us. As a result, we are guilty of the same mistake as him – we feel the pressure of the intense battle and will him to bypass the rules to help get his man out alive. Linholm implicates us in Claus’ illegal actions.
Lindholm also forces us to sympathise with Claus by limiting what we know. We know he has a wife struggling to raise three kids at home, and that jail time for him would also be punishment for them. His family are featured heavily in the film and are alive and well. In contrast, the only time we see the victims of his actions are in a few still shots of their lifeless bodies in the court room. By limiting what we see, he manipulates our emotions into sympathising with Claus and his family. If he had named each of the victims and featured them on film, or if he had not shown Claus’ family, we would have been more likely to side with his prosecutors.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking for more war films set in Afghanistan or Iraq, check out Lone Survivor or Hurt Locker – both Hollywood films.
Or if you want to see more films in which your emotions are manipulated, check out Dear Zachary, The Insult, or Shoplifters.
Or if you’re looking for a closer examination of guilt, check out Manchester by the Sea or 21 Grams.
','' ); } ?>