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
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 | pedophile | new jersey | ghost | forgiveness | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 2010 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Untitled Todd Solondz Project

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$30,507, 25 July 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$278,821, 19 September 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werc Werk Works

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A sequel to Todd Solondz's movie Happiness (1998), but with entirely re-cast characters.

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Quotes

Trish: Are you saying you would forgive the 9/11 terrorists?
Timmy: Well, no, not those terrorists because they're dead.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Help (2011)

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Soundtracks

Avenu Malkenu
Performed by Benzion Miller

User Reviews

Forgive and forget the weaker parts of a pretty interesting film

Not being acquainted with Todd Solondz before now, I found myself comparing "Life During Wartime" at an advance screening tonight to the Cohen brothers, "A Serious Man"-- a film I really enjoyed. It felt like it was hitting a lot of the same notes at the front end of the film, with its humour and the Jewish family life. This was considerably darker--don't worry, I noticed.

I found the Ciaran Hinds story and acting strong, though it made me wary I was being set up to think, "Oh, not such a bad guy, after all." I was relieved this never went further than to suggest, "only human, after all." I'd be interested to hear what some of my social worker friends think of how the film treats this family's big secret, especially in light of the forgiveness theme.

Joy's thread in this film, quirky and fun as it was at times, felt the weakest. There was something about the character's little girl voice and the vacillation and mood swings that started to annoy and distract me, after a time. Maybe the director was just playing with another cliché, there, about long-suffering women, but, well, see for yourself.