Released by a nameless faction after being held captive, Lee, a veteran war photographer, holes up in a hotel room in Sicily, where she refuses to take phone calls and denies all contact in a despairing bid for isolation. She battles recent memories having been traumatised by her experiences on assignment in war torn Libya. The effects of war on her psyche are pronounced and Lee struggles to come to terms with the abhorrent violence and loss that has afflicted many of the refugees she has depicted and helped while documenting various stories of suffering. An intense character study, War Story elicits an awesome solo performance from Catherine Keener who conveys the fear, paranoia and guilt that plagues survivors of extreme situations and with nuance unveils Lees past and the light that might guide her to a better future. |