Spoilers or maybe not… its real life… so nah no spoilers here

Sundays i try to watch something a little gritty & something you can get absorbed in. Last week i did the Isle of dogs but i had already seen that before, so this week i went for something i hadnt but had always wanted to, so i found A Private War on Netflix a film i had always wanted to watch & recon i could get completely lost in it.

Before you watch this, if you dont know who Marie Colvin is i seriously recommend you do your research on her & read some of her articles. I did when she passed away back in 2012 & shes quite often mentioned by people so i thought i knew enough about her to enjoy this & it really does help. I mean i dont know anyone who doesnt know a little about her, but if you dont just have a quick research before starting.

Im going to say everyone acts there arses off in this film which they do, but Rosamund Pike as Marie is truly majestical. You cant take your eye off her, which is probably a poor choice of words as she only has one eye. Seriously the stages of trauma & drama she brings to Marie is wonderful & how she didnt even get Oscar Nominated… i have no idea. Its one of those performances that people will talk about for years & years if they have seen it. Its raw & emotional & everything you want her to be. She should have won for this role.

I am lucky to have never suffered from PTSD, from what ive seen on tv or film or people talking about it, its horrendous. This is where the films artistic licence does take place, especially with the girl always being dead in her bed. I mean this could have been the actual case that she did see that, but the way its shot & filmed & created, it feels horrible to view & you want to not watch it but you cant, & thats the point with PTSD. Its dealt with so that you cant turn away from it & that you want to help & support even if you cant, which again is how you need to let people deal with it.

When shes talking about loving being in a war zone for her work & then hating war & the people who run it & the horrific scenes shes seen but thats why she has to do it as its an addiction, is truly shocking & moving. Its true though. We all have a moment when we know what we are doing isnt good for us in the long term but is it worth it in the short term.

War films often gloss over the human cost of them & the normal people, its more about the people who go to war, but that was Maries job to go & find the human stories & look at them. & the film really conveys that so well. I mean the fact the Jamie Dornan’s Paul she just picks up & he sometimes cant cope with what he is seeing but know he has a job to do & a story to tel las well, lets you know what lengths she is willing to go to for the truth. The fact that at the end of the film shes sent her report & hes begging her to leave but she is then invited on TV to report on Syria & they both know they have to stay, really is emotional.

The most emotional part of that bit of the film is how it connects everyone shes met along the way. Everyone is watching it from their offices or houses & its basically her saying goodbye & that this is her finest piece of work, to tell the world what is really going on so then they know & if shes dies so be it. & then to watch that report & see them dies & then for Paul to crawl over to her to get help & he his shell shocked & mourning, it doesnt need anything more just the silence because she has finally been silenced for doing her job & will there ever be anyone like that again. Truly powerful & i had a very large lump in my throat.

Tom Hollander when he gives his speech on the river bank about convictions, is the most stunning bit of the film that isnt in a war zone. ITs delivered with such purpose & power & you just hear those words leave his mouth & you sit there & go yes that a very huge point, is anyone doing this anymore. He knew he didnt want to send her out there again & told her not know but knew that for his job he had to. Its that catch 22 moment & it neither makes him a good or bad person. You understand all the motives in that one moment & you feel sorry for the both if them.

Some of the places she went at the time were the worst places in the world & how they recreated those moments & stories really were shocking & scary & you just sat there & looked at the detail of them all & just went, this is how horrific it looks in a film, how bad was it to actually go there.

I like how the film ends with the actual Marie talking about War & how it effected her, the perfect sign off that shes gets the last word.

This isnt going to be everyone some of the stuff they show is grim, but thats the point, you are seeing what she saw. War isnt nice for anyone apart from people who make money from it. But if you feel up to it, i really think you should watch this film. You will get so engrossed & scared & emotional & just want to tell her she will be okay. A masterpiece. A stunning war film & one that should get a lot more press & love than it actually does.