Lily (Anna Friel) and Charlie (Aden Young) meet at a dance in London during the WWII blitz--she's a local seamstress; he's a Canadian soldier on leave--and quickly fall madly in love and marry. A week later Charlie is back on the front lines and two years later, as her husband continues to fight the Germans, Lily and baby daughter emigrate to remote, rural Canada to join Charlie's family. Trading a hard life in London for a very different kind of life on a hardscrabble farm, Lily is not welcomed with open arms by her new in-laws (mother Brenda Fricker and sister Molly Parker), leading to simmering bitterness and resentment on all sides--from insecurities and perceived slights--that forces the principals to tread gingerly in this new makeshift family. Originally titled The War Bride, screenwriter Angela Workman's story was inspired by her own mother's experiences (an estimated 48,000 "war brides" emigrated to Canada during WWII) and the film is full of little touches that feel like they came from a conversation with a grandmother over a cup of tea when she was in a particularly unguarded mood. Heartbreakingly stirring, the re-titled Love and War is part and parcel of the collective North American tale of the pain and heartache of people who came looking for better lives, and left us, their children, to uncover their secret stories. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)
Love and War
Questar, 107 min., not rated, DVD: $14.99 Volume 19, Issue 6
Love and War
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: