In the heart of Iceland’s nature, a lonely woman fights a war to defend her land environment against an energy corporation’s pollution.
For everyone, she is a simple music teacher who conducts a small city choir.
But in her spare time, she secretly operates like a ninja in the wastelands of her country.
Day after day, she protests in her way by tampering with the local electricity distribution network.
After the last act of destruction, the company decides to react harshly, hiring a small army to monitor the area.
They need to arrest her as quickly as possible not to ruin a rich Japanese company business deal.
Besides, the woman has come to a very delicate moment in her life.
Indeed after many years, the authorities accept her request for the adoption of a little girl from Ukraine.
Extremely excited, she decides to sign the agreement with her twin sister, leaving for an Indian spiritual journey.
A hope she hardly believed in anymore, after so much time that she had almost forgotten the request.
The sister is her only relative and is a quiet yoga teacher, unaware of her secret ecological mission.
But when the company tries to discredit her as a terrorist, she decides to do one last attack using explosives.
The majestic glimpse and voice of Iceland environment
Woman at War is a funny, adventurous ecological movie transporting us to the beautiful semi-inhabited Icelandic lands.
The locations offer cold and almost lifeless natural views, yet able to take your breath away at first sight.
For us, it is impossible not to empathize with this funny, simple, and unstoppable woman.
And in the same way, we immediately love the still untouched corners of the world she wants to fight for.
The lovely and fierce protagonist is herself a force of nature.
Fighting like a green Rambo, she remembers what matters in life, which we need more today than ever.
But she is also human and maternal, probably replacing the desire to have a daughter with the desire to protect her native land.
This passion creates a romantic and ironic contrast that blends perfectly with the magical atmosphere of the Iceland environment.
Another hilarious and exciting element is the soundtrack, played live in the middle of every scene.
Indeed, as we follow the adventure of this ecologist saboteur in the background, we continually see a small orchestra.
This orchestra includes some picturesque Icelandic musicians and a chorus of Ukrainian girls who emphasize the critical moments of history with their ballads.
A type of music that you have rarely heard in a movie but very effective to give the right rhythm and tension to the private war of this woman.
Adventure, motherhood and ecology
The director Benedikt Erlingsson creates a unique blend working with great craft few but great ingredients.
First of all, we repeat the incredible spectacle of the immense spaces of Iceland, which bring us back to a world that was and will never be again.
Second, as already said, the beautiful music adds a feature of national folklore simply inimitable.
The story develops with grace and naturalness, proposing the classic fight between good and evil in a new version of all females.
The good is the woman and the nature; two faces of the same medal embody life and the desire to protect.
Vice versa, evil is progress that looks nothing in the face and no one to make money, destroying a world we will never get back.
Finally, Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir is extraordinary in the double role of the rebel protagonist and her mildest twin sister.
At first, it may seem like a superficial and almost superfluous relationship, but it will become the central pivot of history with a significant turning point.
The actress shows all her skill playing these two women at the threshold of fifty years, both free and independent.
These two sisters look like two opposite characters in character and interests, but they will bring together by the love for a child who survived the war.
In conclusion, I can only recommend Woman at War to virtually anyone with an open mind enough to love him.
Indeed everyone can appreciate this movie, which will make you reflect on the world, life, and the advancement of years with irony and intelligence.
In today’s cinema, this kind of combination is increasingly rare and therefore is increasingly appreciated.
