In the midst of covering stories in a war-torn country, Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) asks, “in covering war, can we really make a difference?” The short answer is yes, but the long answer comes in the form of Matthew Heineman’s “A Private War.”
The film details Colvin’s efforts and struggles of being a war correspondent. It takes us with her everywhere, from uncovering a mass grave in Iraq and interviewing Muammar Gaddafi to more intimate moments of seeing how the toll of being a Middle East correspondent takes on her.
Within the first part of the film, viewers are introduced to Colvin and watch as she was attacked even after calling out “journalist, journalist!” She sustains serious injuries, including one to her left eye, but even in the hospital bed she pulls out her recorder and tries to continue working on her article.
That was only one of the small instances that showed how deeply dedicated Colvin was to her job. Amongst showing her courage and bravery, this film showed a woman battling her demons. Not one to admit her own PTSD, this film captured the torment of what it means to be on the frontlines.
Heineman’s usual documentary filmmaking very obviously peeked through in this biographical drama film, and it paid off. Not only in depicting the ugliness of Colvin’s mental illness, but also in choosing real people to partake in war-torn scenes. The people in the scenes where the women are standing about the mass grave and where parents mourn the loss of their five-year-old child were not actors and had oftentimes experienced war first hand. Heineman chose these people to help tell their stories and to try to get others to listen.
It was Heineman’s drive of “fighting for the truth” he obviously gleaned from Colvin’s own mentality that made this film emotional and inspiring. With Colvin’s own writing voiced over shots of a contemplative Pike, and gunshots and explosions punctuating almost every scene, it made for a powerful viewing experience.
It’s said that the truth will set you free. But in many cases for journalists like Colvin, the truth will oftentimes tear you apart. It was Colvin’s bravery and dedication to fighting for the truth that also damaged her, and Pike captured it all remarkably. Colvin’s impact made a difference
So, a better question to ask is: can making a film about a celebrated war correspondent leave a lasting impact that will
Carly Shaw is a Copy Editor for District. She’s a writing major who will graduate in 2019.
