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    Movie Review

    Internal and external conflicts collide in A Private War

    Alex Bentley
    Nov 9, 2018 | 3:02 pm
    Internal and external conflicts collide in A Private War
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    As a simple matter of fact, most Americans have not personally been affected by the horrors of war. In this day and age, it is only those who sign up for the military, aid workers, journalists, and the like who volunteer to be part of something which most people would not want to experience for all the money in the world.

     

    Then there are people like Marie Colvin, a longtime war correspondent whose story is told in A Private War. Played by Rosamund Pike, Colvin was a highly-respected reporter who worked for The Sunday Times in London, covering conflicts in countries like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Libya, and more for nearly 30 years.

     

    The film goes into great detail about her internal conflict of needing to go to the war-torn areas of the world despite knowing full well how dangerous they can be, as evidenced by her losing an eye in an explosion. But she pushes on past the breaking point of most other people, including that of photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan), who joins Colvin on many of her excursions.

     

    A scene toward the middle of the film details the internal struggle of Colvin. In a conversation with Conroy, she expresses the multiple contradictions of her life, a sign that while she can recognize her personal issues, she is almost powerless to change them.

     

    While few can relate to the intense personality of Colvin, watching her throw herself into her work with abandon makes for a gripping experience. As directed by Matthew Heineman and written by Arash Amel, the film is a rarity in that it is willing to confront hard truths while rarely leavening the bleakness with lighter scenes. Without someone like Colvin — and, by extension, this film — the atrocities that take place in certain areas of the world would go unacknowledged.

     

    It’s true of all war films, but how Heineman and his team were able to re-create the destruction of the various battles is astonishing. Computerized visual effects can account for some of it, but it seems as if the characters are entrenched in truly dangerous places, giving the film a vérité feel that does wonders for its realism.

     

    The biggest reason the film works, though, is the performance of Pike, as sure of an Oscar nominee this year as there is. Every aspect of her performance is spot-on, including the perfect mimic of Colvin’s voice, the hunger for cigarettes and booze (both ever-present throughout the film), and the strong emotions she must show to be convincing. She lives in the role, and the film would not work without her commitment.

     

    There is no letdown in A Private War, and that’s what makes it so good. It shows us things we sometimes don’t want to see, but with Pike's Colvin as our guide, we’re in an expert’s hands all the way.

    Rosamund Pike in A Private War.

    Rosamund Pike in A Private War
      
    Photo by Paul Conroy / Aviron Pictures
    Rosamund Pike in A Private War.
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    Film Fest News

    Top picks of the 2025 Asian Film Festival of Dallas coming in July

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 3, 2025 | 11:27 am
    Baby Assassins: Nice Days
    AFFD
    Asian Film Festival's Baby Assassins: Nice Days

    The annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas — a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating Asian and Asian-American filmmakers — returns in 2025 with more than two dozen films including action movies, comedies, thrillers, and short films.

    The four-day festival will take place July 24-27 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas, 5321 E. Mockingbird Ln. #230, and will include award-winning films, premieres, and red carpet action.

    Highlights include:

    • Opening Night July 24: Shinji Araki's Japanese thriller Penalty Loop
    • Centerpiece July 25: Johnny Ma’s comedy-drama The Mother and the Bear (Johnny Ma will also be in-person at AFFD to participate in the post-screening Q&A.)
    • Women's Showcase July 26
    • Closing Night July 27: Yugo Sakamoto's Japanese action-comedy Baby Assassins: Nice Days

    AFFD will also host a special Saturday Women’s Showcase spotlighting female filmmakers from across Asia—South Korea, India, Singapore, and Vietnam—as well as the U.S.

    "For the festival as whole, while fans can still count on the high-energy action films we’re known for, a deeper theme emerged as I programmed the lineup — the power of connection," says Programming Director Paul Theiss in a release. "This year’s festival explores the deep human need to reach out, be seen, and never go it alone. And what better place to celebrate that spirit of connection than at a film festival, which brings us together through the shared experience of storytelling.”

    Women's Showcase
    Highlights include:

    • Mye Hoang's 25 Cats From Qatar. Film about an American flight attendant and cat cafe owner who reacts to a homeless cat crisis in Qatar by coming up with a plan to fly 25 cats to Milwaukee, with her cat cafe providing the way for people to adopt them.
    • Dương Diệu Linh’s Don’t Cry, Butterfly. Focuses on a wedding venue staffer who learns of her husband’s affair while watching live TV. Instead of confronting him, she uses a voodoo spell to reclaim his love.
    • Nelicia Low’s Pierce. Thriller follows the push and pull between a young fencer and his estranged older brother, recently released from juvenile prison after serving time for killing an opponent during a fencing match.

    All three filmmakers will be in Dallas to participate in Q&As following their screenings.

    Sunday will feature films with attending filmmakers leading up to the Closing Night screening of Yugo Sakamoto's Japanese action-comedy Baby Assassins: Nice Days, including:

    • Jeff Mann’s Paper Marriage finds comedy and drama in the story of a Chinese immigrant facing deportation, who pays an unemployed and directionless man to marry her.
    • Lee Jong-min and Yeum Moon-kyoung’s South Korean comedy The Last Woman on Earth looks at a female screenwriter who finds tension with her fellow film students due to her script’s anger toward men.

    Also noted for its singular party presentations, this year the Asian Film Festival of Dallas will complement the screenings and filmmaker appearances at AFFD with Opening Night, Centerpiece, and Closing Night parties at the Angelika Film Center with Asian cuisine and crafted drinks by George Kaiho, featuring Suntory Japanese Whisky, as well as themed presentations, filmmaker meet-and-greets, and photo opportunities for film fans who have come out to enjoy the great AFFD programming during those evenings.

    To purchase badges, tickets, and find a full list of all the films, go to asianfilmdallas.com.

    Over the last 20+ years, the festival has provided opportunities for more than 400 Asian and Asian-American filmmakers to share their vision, often providing the only venue for their films to be shown in Dallas. The films have also allowed festival goers a chance to experience other lives and cultures without leaving their seats.

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