Life During Wartime (film)
| Life During Wartime | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Todd Solondz |
| Produced by |
Derrick Tseng Christine K. Walker Elizabeth Redleaf |
| Written by | Todd Solondz |
| Starring |
Ally Sheedy Allison Janney Ciarán Hinds Chris Marquette Paul Reubens Dylan Riley Snyder |
| Cinematography | Ed Lachman |
| Edited by | Kevin Messman |
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Production
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| Distributed by | IFC Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4.5 million |
| Box office | $744,816 |
Life During Wartime is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz, which premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. It is a direct, but loose sequel to his 1998 film Happiness, with new actors playing the same characters. It stars Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, and Ciarán Hinds, among others.
Solondz said Life During Wartime was "a little more politically overt" than previous works."
Life During Wartime won the Golden Osella award for Best Screenplay at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.
The plot revolves around the Jordan sisters featured in Happiness: Trish, Joy, and Helen.
Since the events of Happiness, Joy has married Helen's former neighbor Allen Mellencamp, who continues to struggle with his compulsion to make obscene phone calls.
Trish has been raising her three children, Billy (now off at college), Timmy and Chloe. She has begun dating recently divorced Harvey Weiner, who she hopes is normal. Trish's ex-husband, Bill has been released from prison after serving a sentence for child molestation, and heads to Florida to find out how his family, particularly his eldest son, are doing. He finds brief solace in a one-night stand with Jacqueline, a self-described "monster" as filled with loneliness and self-hatred as he is; however, she kicks him out the next morning when she catches him taking money from her purse.
Trish's middle child, Timmy, is preparing for his bar mitzvah and trying to determine what it means to become a man. Trish has for years told Timmy and Chloe that Bill had died, to avoid telling them that he is a pedophile. Timmy finds out, however, and is angry at her that she lied to him. When he asks her about the mechanics of rape, Trish urges him to scream as soon as any man touches him.
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