The incredible story of acclaimed war correspondent Marie Colvin is brought to life by director Matthew Heineman and Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) starring as Colvin. The plot follows Colvin’s constant presence in extreme war zones such as Sri Lanka and Iraq and her time spent at home in London in between. Her attempt to recover from the latest wars each time is met with moments of frustration, despair and even panic.
“A Private War” is about a woman who constantly risked her life to make sure other people’s suffering would go on record. It is about a woman who would personally confront religious leaders and rebels and receive inappropriate sexual behavior in return. It is about Marie Colvin and her incessant devotion to bring awareness about the millions of people whose lives are destroyed by warfare.
Based on the article “Marie Colvin’s Private War” published in 2012 by Vanity Fair, the movie brings the presence of a brilliant cast that includes Jamie Dornan (“50 Shades of Grey”), Stanley Tucci (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Tom Hollander who previously starred in “Pride and Prejudice” alongside Pike in 2005.
The movie depicts the harsh reality of someone who allows themselves to be in the position of being a war correspondent; a position that the movie constantly reaffirms that is not for everyone and that it comes with many risks. These moments may be sensitive for anyone who have dealt (or is dealing) with PTSD.
Pike’s acting is fantastically raw and extremely successful in portraying Colvin’s strong-mind, toughness, and above all, her astounding bravery.
In fact, her bravery is most times palpable through the screen. Words do not do justice to describe the war scenes shown in the movie, yet this is exactly what Colvin was so well-known for – she had the divine capability of making people stop and care about what she wrote. Tension and everlasting sorrow marked the lives of thousands of civilians who Colvin saw and worked with so closely.
“The real difficulty is having enough faith in humanity to believe that enough people, be they government, military or the man on the street, will care when your file reaches the printed page, the website or the TV screen. We do have that faith because we believe we do make a difference.” – Marie Colvin.
