A War (2015)

The story of a Danish commander, who is accused of civil murder in Afghanistan, while trying to save his squad.

Director:

Tobias Lindholm

Writer:

Tobias Lindholm

Stars:

Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny, Søren Malling

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pilou Asbæk	...	Claus Michael Pedersen
Tuva Novotny	...	Maria Pedersen
Søren Malling	...	Martin R. Olsen
Charlotte Munck	...	Kajsa Danning
Dar Salim	...	Najib Bisma
Dulfi Al-Jabouri	...	Lutfi 'Lasse' Hassan
Cecilie Elise Sondergaard	...	Figne
Adam Chessa	...	Julius
Andreas Buch Bogwardt	...	Elliot
Petrine Agger	...	Ulla
Martin Tamm Andersen	...	Michael Chidekel
Christian 'Krolle' Pedersen	...	Kenneth 'Slagter' Jensen
Andre Fog Sorensen	...	Nikolai Jones
Daniel Ulvedal Jensen	...	Danny Sorensen
David Barrett	...	Peter Rytter

Storyline

Company commander Claus M. Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk) and his men are stationed in an Afghan province. Meanwhile back in Denmark Claus' wife Maria (Tuva Novotny) is trying to hold everyday life together with a husband at war and three children missing their father. During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in heavy crossfire and in order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that has grave consequences for him - and his family back home.

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Plot Keywords:

military family | post traumatic stress disorder | ptsd | danish soldier | danish army | 

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Taglines:

Duty goes beyond battlefield.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some war related images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

Denmark France

Language:

Danish Arabic English

Release Date:

10 September 2015 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

A War

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,997, 26 February 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$122,902

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,113,277

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danmarks Radio (DR), Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Four of the cast members are real Danish soldiers who have been stationed in Afghanistan.

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Soundtracks

Sweetness
Komponeret Og Fremført AF/ Composed and Performed by Drew Holcomb
(p) 2010 Riptide Music
Forlaght AF Apollo Live

User Reviews

War makes enemies of us all

It's no secret that the Danish people are making very good films. In the last four years they have been nominated for three Oscars, including this film Krigen. It is a tale of Danish troops stationed in Afghanistan, with a special focus on their commander Claus Michael and his family back home in Denmark. The Danish troops takes daily patrols to meet and speak with the locals. At the same time back in Denmark, Claus Michael wife Maria struggles with their children, especially the middle son who is in a defying period. Life in Afghanistan changes quickly when suddenly one of the soldiers gets killed and Claus Michael during a heavy fire exchange, is force to make a decision that comes with devastating consequences.

Krigen is like many other Danish films brutally realistic and dramatic. With a limited budget, they hardly had any possibilities to make a big Hollywood war film, but in some ways Krigen captures something else. With smaller environments, more focus on the soldiers mental health and the relationship between them, Krigen feels very realistic. It doesn't glamorize war or the life of war. When the soldiers lives are put on edge, you really understand that they are also victims in something they perhaps don't fully comprehend. Parallel with the war in Afghanistan, we also see Maria's life in Denmark. She is forced to fight her own kind of battle and the contrast between hers and her husbands life is very interesting.

The best and really most scaring thing about Krigen is the moral questions it asks about war and warfare. When Claus Michael is forced to make a decision to save his squad, he himself gets into deep trouble and suddenly risk prosecution back in Denmark. The country he serves and the soldiers whose lives was his duty to protect, suddenly turns more or less against him. Very interesting and a bit disturbing. I don't think the purpose of the film is entirely to be an anti war tale, but more likely to create debate. What is it like to be a soldier so far from home and can the authorities back home in Denmark really make decisions about certain things when they couldn't possibly understand what it is like to be in the middle of a war zone? I have for a long time, wanted Sweden to make this film but Denmark beat us to it. A very strong and interesting film.

David Lindahl - www.filmografen.se