Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- bleak
- uncomfortable
- arthouse film night
- challenging drama night
What critics said
Critics generally found Todd Solondz's semi-sequel uncompromising and unexpectedly effective, especially in its darkly comic treatment of taboo family dysfunction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Trish, Bill, Joy, and their relatives confront whether forgiveness can coexist with the damage caused by abuse and betrayal.
The film is explicitly described as an unexpected semi-sequel to Happiness and develops related family and sexual anxieties.
The film treats pedophilia, marital degradation, shame, and desire through an intentionally abrasive comic register.
Joy's nightgown walk through dark Miami streets visually frames her angelic self-image against self-affliction and desire.
Films like Life During Wartime, and why
Happiness
shared uncompromising dark comedy, dysfunctional families, taboo subject matter, and uncomfortable emotional provocation
Welcome to the Dollhouse
shared bleakly comic suburban dysfunction, alienated characters, and incisive examination of family shame
The Celebration
shared corrosive family drama, morally compromised characters, and unsettling comic treatment of taboo behavior
Movie Details
- Director
- Todd Solondz
- Release Date
- 2010-04-16
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (151)
Cast
- Shirley Henderson
- Michael Kenneth Williams
- Ally Sheedy
- Paul Reubens
- Allison Janney
- Michael Lerner
- Dylan Riley Snyder
- Ciarán Hinds
- Renée Taylor
- Charlotte Rampling
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Life During Wartime about?
- A caustic family dramedy in which forgiveness, abuse, and buried shame collide across two damaged sisters' lives.
- What is Life During Wartime like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Life During Wartime as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Life During Wartime violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Life During Wartime as mild.
- What did critics think of Life During Wartime?
- Critics generally found Todd Solondz's semi-sequel uncompromising and unexpectedly effective, especially in its darkly comic treatment of taboo family dysfunction.
- Which films are like Life During Wartime?
- Films with a similar feel include Happiness, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and The Celebration.
- How long is Life During Wartime?
- Life During Wartime runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Life During Wartime?
- In United States, Life During Wartime streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
