A WAR – The Review

Like A HIJACKING, Danish writer/director Tobias Lindholm’s previous film, A WAR has a deceptively simple title for a film that a complex, very human drama. In this film, Denmark’s entry for the Foreign-language Oscar, Lindholm does not address the idea of war itself but instead explores the soldier’s experience of it, in a neutral yet unblinking way.

A WAR is a gripping, tense film, focused on the very human drama at its core and the complex moral choices the characters face, while avoiding any hint of melodrama. In particular, “A War” looks at the moral choices made by one Danish commander in Afghanistan. The choices are made with the best intentions but with unforeseen and tragic results, as he tries to balance what is right for his men, Afghan civilians, and even in his own family back home in the fog of war. It is a film about grief, guilt, responsibility, and the contrast between snap decisions made in the heat of war and the cool assessment of those decisions back home.

Company commander Claus Pedersen (Pilou Asbaek) is the leader of a Danish unit fighting in Afghanistan, along with his second-in-command Najib Bisma (Dar Salim), a close friend from the military academy. Back home, his wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is struggling to cope with their three children, one of whom is misbehaving at school in response to his father’s absence. In Afghanistan, Pedersen is concerned about the morale of his men after the death of one soldier, and decides to start accompanying them on missions, which unit commanders rarely do. Pedersen is a man with a strong sense of responsibility, who is close to his men and sensitive to the strain they experience in war. His commitment to do his best for them may cloud his judgment and, with the best of intentions, Pedersen makes a decision in battle that is either the right moral choice or a war crime, depending on how one views it. The decision saves the life of one of his soldiers but costs the lives of several civilians,which results in Pedersen being recalled to Denmark to face a courtroom trial, and a new set of moral and ethical dilemmas.

Using handheld photography and a documentary-like approach, A WAR plays out with all the edge-of-your seat tension of a war film and a courtroom thriller, while intelligently tackling issues faced on the battlefield and at home during wartime. Lindholm navigates this difficult territory with great skill and sensitivity, but also with stark honesty, focusing on the personal view of the soldier, without expressing either support or disapproval of the long-running war. Like A HIJACKING, A WAR avoids painting choices in simple black-and-white and handles difficult, real-life moral choices in a sensitive manner, while delivering taut drama and an engrossing film.

Focusing on the taut drama of the situation and the emotions of the characters, the director is carefully non-judgmental, leaving the audience to decide. Although Pedersen is on trial for these civilian deaths, ironically, he made an earlier decision as commander which also cost civilian lives. In that decision, the commander chose to follow the rules of engagement but the result was also a devastating outcome in human terms.

A WAR reunites writer/director Lindholm with A HIJACKING actors Pilou Asbaek (also billed as Philip Asbaek) and Dar Salim. The gifted cast is one of the strengths of the film, and all turn in strong but subtle performances. In the lead role, Asbaek skillfully creates a character who is wholly believable as a basically good man grappling with difficult choices. Salim, an Iraqi-Danish actor who served in the Royal Guard, brings both a warmth as Pedersen’s friend and a convincing military precision as his second-in-command. Salim’s military experience helps add the the film’s strong sense of authenticity, but Lindholm further strengthened that by extensive research and collaboration with Danish soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

A WAR is an emotionally powerful film, a thought-provoking, intelligent film which looks at both the challenges in the field and at home during wartime.

A WAR in Danish with English subtitles, opens Friday, Feb. 26, at Plaza Frontenac Cinema

OVERALL RATING:  4 OUT OF 5 STARS