If there is a moment in time that we need to be reminded of the role of journalism and the importance of those who dedicate, and sometimes risk, their lives to report on what is going on in the world, it is now. Fortunately, this is exactly what A Private War does.
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Beirut Movie) plays Marie Colvin, an American journalist who worked for almost three decades as a foreign affairs correspondent for the British newspaper The Sunday Times. The movie focuses on the journalist in war zones and also in her private life, showing the steep price that she payed for choosing to be a witness to the horrors of war.
According to Colvin, she was compelled to see for herself what happens in war zones all over the world, and to report on situations she deeply cared about in hope that other people would care about them too. When watching the film, it is impossible not to be moved by her life and by the suffering of those whom she talks to and about. Multiple times I caught myself completely involved in her interviews as if they were not with actors but with real people trying to survive wars in countries such as Syria and Libya.
Considering the current state of the world, Marie Colvin’s work and sacrifices were not enough to make most people really care about those who perish in wars. I hope this movie will succeed at least in reminding the viewers of the fundamental role journalists play reporting on what so many governments and powerful people would prefer not to be exposed, and of the importance of freedom of the press and of expression. Contrary to what so many politicians and governments would like us to believe, journalists are not the enemy. In fact, they are essential if we want to build a more just, peaceful and democratic world for everybody.
Directed by Matthew Heineman, known for the documentary City of Ghosts, the movie’s cast includes Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy, The Fall - TV) and Stanley Tucci (Spotlight Movie, The Hunger Games).
- Lalu Farias