War Story (2014 film)
| War Story | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mark Jackson |
| Written by | Mark Jackson Kristin Gore |
| Produced by | Catherine Keener Kristin Gore Matt Ratner Shona Tuckman |
| Starring | Catherine Keener Hafsia Herzi Ben Kingsley |
| Cinematography | Reed Morano |
| Edited by | Kate Abernathy |
| Music by | Dave Eggar Amy Lee |
Production companies | Caney Fork Films Kreate Films Sicily Movie Tilted Windmill Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
War Story is a 2014 American drama film directed by Mark Jackson and starring Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi and Ben Kingsley.[1] Screenplay is by Kristin Gore, music by Dave Eggar, Chuck Palmer, and Amy Lee,[2] and cinematography by Reed Morano.[3]
The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2014.[4][5] The film later screened at 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam.[6]
Premise
A war photographer, Lee goes to Sicily instead of going back home to New York City, to forget about being taken hostage in Libya. In Sicily, she crosses paths with her former lover and mentor Albert and tries to help Hafsia, a young Tunisian migrant, escape to France.
Cast
- Catherine Keener as Lee
- Hafsia Herzi as Hafsia
- Ben Kingsley as Albert
- Donatella Finocchiaro as Daria
- Vincenzo Amato as Filippo
Music
Music for the film was written and composed by Amy Lee, singer of American rock band Evanescence, and Dave Eggar. The soundtrack album was released on August 25, 2014.
Reception
War Story received a mixed to negative response from critics, with a 47% rating on rotten tomatoes. Todd McCarthy in his review for The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, calling it "A compelling, beautifully filmed character study of a war zone photographer in personal turmoil."[7] Mark Adams of Screen International praised the film by saying that it is "A dense and taut drama, a study on post-traumatic stress disorder that at its best is strikingly tense and heavy with sadness."[8] Chris Michael in his review for The Guardian, gave the film three out of five stars and said that "Catherine Keener exudes dark anxiety in Mark Jackson's tale of the European immigrant experience."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | Mark Jackson | Nominated[6] |
References
- ^ Catherine Keener and Sir Ben Kingsley in Exclusive Poster For Sundance Drama 'War Story' 2 Jan 2014
- ^ ‘War Story’ PressKit December 4, 2013
- ^ 2014 Sundance Festival 0 Mark Jackson War Story
- ^ "Sundance 2014: The Next <=> Lineup". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "Catherine Keener and Ben Kingsley in Exclusive Poster For Sundance Drama 'War Story'". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ a b "Rotterdam Film Festival 2014". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "War Story: Sundance Review". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "War Story". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "War Story – first look review". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ "War Story". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 10, 2023.