THE WAR
A film review by Sue Roberts
Copyright 1996 Sue Roberts
Directed by John Avnet Written by Kathy McWorter Starring Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham.
We loved this film. Did we see the same print that was released in the U.S.A? It spoke to us. And how refreshing to hear a script with a point of view!
We were really surprised to find the film combined gentle humour round a breakfast table and touches of song from the best girlfriends, yet could switch to an action sequence and have one unexpectedly on the edge of one's seat. The mix of social comment and metaphysical ideas was a little like "The Crying Game."
The film opens on a tree which will be the focus of children's attention throughout the summer. However it is the demolition of a real house which seals the metaphor of people becoming obsessed with a piece of territory. In doing so, they lose sight of the importance of people and eventually, that for which they were fighting. We see Lois, the working woman with her back to the wall, unable to supervise her children. On the scrapheap the Lipnicki children, for whom no-one cares, so who care for no- one else. Then there are the men of both families, who are expected to cope no matter how hard their emotional losses, nor how harsh the economic conditions. Maybe this is a portrait of the seventies that Americans could not relate to, but one has only to open a nineties newspaper in Britain to see it is one all too familiar, as our industrial heritage is scrapped and miners, steelworkers, and engineers are stamped on by an army of accountants.
If this all sounds too politically correct for words, the lightness of director John Avnet's touch and the exuberance of the kids makes this one of the most enjoyable films in ages.
We were really impressed by the acting, and not just from Costner, who puts in an outstandingly sympathetic performance as Stephen, the father who returns from Vietnam to a country he is no longer in step with. Elijah Wood, as his son Stu., took over the reins and carried the film to its completion without missing a beat. A supporting cast of enthusiastic professionals matched with young talent took this text and breathed life into it.
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