The acting is phenomenal across the board. The three leads, Joner, Hagen, and Wilmann, deserve particular credit because they get put through the wringer. They have to portray incredible loss and pain while trying to keep it together for the sake of those around them. Each actor is quite successful on that front.
Vikene’s direction of War Sailor is absolutely top-notch. The director has perfect instincts, incredible sensitivity, and reverence for the subject matter. The budget for a Norwegian war feature may not be as high as it would be for a big-budget American production, but you never feel that it is lacking in spectacle. The focus is solidly on the characters, their peril, and the lasting and profound effects the struggle has on them.
“The director has perfect instincts…”
The soundtrack is phenomenal as well. Composer Volker Bertelmann delivers a score like no other, reminding me a bit of Johnny Greenwood’s work on Paul Thomas Anderson’s oeuvre. The music almost seems to be found sound, like the driving machinery that all the characters find themselves caught up in. It is tense, driving, and enhances the drama without being distracting.
War Sailor accurately portrays the hellish nature of war. People die for no reason or suffer from grievous injuries. It is more about survival than heroism. But the movie is ultimately about more than war. It is about the bonds that keep us together, friendship, loyalty, love, and the extraordinary core of decency at the center of the human spirit that can’t be eroded no matter what is thrown at it. This is one of the best films I’ve seen this year, and it will stay with me for years to come.
War Sailor screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
"…will stay with me for years to come."
