Life During Wartime (2009)

Friends, family, and lovers struggle to find love, forgiveness, and meaning in an almost war-torn world riddled with comedy and pathos.

Director:

Todd Solondz

Writer:

Todd Solondz

Stars:

Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shirley Henderson	...	Joy
Michael Kenneth Williams	...	Allen
Roslyn Ruff	...	Waitress
Allison Janney	...	Trish
Michael Lerner	...	Harvey
Dylan Riley Snyder	...	Timmy
Ciarán Hinds	...	Bill
Renée Taylor	...	Mona
Rebecca Chiles	...	Hostess
Paul Reubens	...	Andy
Emma Hinz	...	Chloe
Charlotte Rampling	...	Jacqueline
Ally Sheedy	...	Helen
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Wanda (as Gaby Hoffman)
Rich Pecci	...	Mark

Storyline

Separated from her incarcerated husband Bill (Hinds), Trish (Janney) is about to be married again. Bill is a pedophile, so Trish couldn't be more excited to have Harvey (Lerner), a "normal" father figure for her two sons. But when Bill is released from prison and the boys finally meet their future stepdad, the family is forced to decide whether to forgive or to forget. Trish's sister, the virginal, angelic Joy (Henderson), is also haunted by ghosts of lovers past. On leave from her degenerate husband, Allen (Williams), and her job at a New Jersey correctional facility, Joy unwittingly leaves behind a trail of shame and exposed secrets wherever she goes. In one of the film's most stylized sequences, the image of Joy walking the dark streets of Miami in her nightgown maintains her innocence against a backdrop of self-affliction and desire.

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Plot Keywords:

ex convict | kiss | reference to william s. burroughs' naked lunch | reference to che guevara | boy | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, brief nudity, and language including some disturbing dialogue

Did You Know?

Trivia

Title taken from the title of a song by Talking Heads.

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Goofs

The plane has no name or identifying number on its outside, as mandated by ICAO, the international aviation agency.

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Quotes

Mark Wiener: Sure. Forgive and forget. But it's like freedom and democracy. In the end, China will take over, and none of this will matter.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2009 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Lute Concerto in D Major. RV93: II. Largo
(Solo Trans. G. García for guitar)
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Gerald Garcia

User Reviews

No Comparison

I would really like to see Todd Solondz produce something on the level of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE or HAPPINESS again but I'm afraid that I'll just have to settle for watching those earlier works. To be fair, I don't know what he could have done with the characters from HAPPINESS that would have worked better. I revisited HAPPINESS before seeing LIFE DURING WARTIME to refresh my memory. That film crackles throughout with uneasiness. When we laugh, it's to release tension. It's not the cast's fault that this film lacks the same punch. While unrated in the US, my guess is that this would have received a PG-13 or an R for a few exposed breasts. HAPPINESS would have been NC-17 for sure. HAPPINESS was about getting whatever happiness one can no matter the cost to others. This is a film about forgiving and forgetting and moving on. I can certainly forgive Todd Solondz for what he tried to achieve here even as the film fades from memory.

Details

Official Sites:

Werc Werk Works

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 2010 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Untitled Todd Solondz Project

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,507, 25 July 2010

Gross USA:

$281,447

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$807,162

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werc Werk Works

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1