''While at War'' () is a 2019 Spanish-Argentine

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by

Alejandro Amenábar Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos (born 31 March 1972) is a Chilean-Spanish film director, screenwriter and composer. He has won nine Goya Awards—including Best Director for his 2001 film '' The Others''—and two European Film Awards amon ...

. Set in 1936, during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, the plot tracks the plight of philosopher and writer

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical ...

(performed by Karra Elejalde) in

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

, a city controlled by the Rebel faction.

Plot

During the

Spanish coup of July 1936 The Spanish coup of July 1936( or, among the rebels, ) was a military uprising that was intended to overthrow the Spanish Second Republic, but precipitated the Spanish Civil War, in which Nationalists fought against Republicans for control o ...

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

troops occupy

. In the process, the city's

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

mayor is arrested. Revered author

( Karra Elejalde) convenes with two colleagues,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

priest Atilano Coco Martin and leftist Salvador Vila Hernández; they discuss the coup briefly, after which Unamuno leaves for an interview to publicly support the coup. During the interview, the mayor's wife interrupts to ask him to intervene regarding her husband's imprisonment; Unamuno offers monetary assistance instead, which she rejects. Meanwhile, in

Spanish Morocco The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protectorate. The Spanish protectorate consisted of a norther ...

, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

delegation meets with General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

to pressure the formation of a single Nationalist leader following the death of General

José Sanjurjo José Sanjurjo y Sacanell (; 28 March 1872 – 20 July 1936) was a Spanish military officer who was one of the military leaders who plotted the July 1936 ''coup d'état'' that started the Spanish Civil War. He was endowed the nobiliary title ...

. Franco maintains that the junta in

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

holds power, even as his colleagues pressure him to take leadership. Back in Salamanca, Unamuno is removed from his position as rector at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...

by the government of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

in response to his support of the coup. Unamuno meets with Coco and Salvador again, with the meeting culminating in a heated argument from which Coco leaves. Unamuno later goes to Coco's residence to speak with him, only to find that he is not there. Elsewhere, General

José Millán-Astray José Millán-Astray y Terreros (5 July 1879 – 1 January 1954) was a Spanish military officer who was the founder and first commander of the Spanish Legion. He was also a major early figure of the Francoist dictatorship. Astray was notable f ...

meets with Franco in Cáceres, while the junta in Burgos reinstates Unamuno as rector of the university, where he finds that he has been prompted to write a manifesto supporting the coup, a task he rejects. Unamuno attempts to meet with Coco - his wife reveals that he had been taken into Nationalist custody days prior. Unamuno meets with Salvador, who attempts to convince him of the fascist nature of the coup. Meanwhile, Millán-Astray urges Franco to relieve the

Siege of the Alcázar The siege of the Alcázar was a highly symbolic Nationalist victory in Toledo in the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War. The Alcázar of Toledo was held by a variety of military forces in favour of the Nationalist uprising. Militias of t ...

in Toledo, but is rebuffed on strategic grounds – to relieve the siege would delay the war's end by years. Millán-Astray pressures Franco to assume leadership, a proposal Franco once again rejects. Later, Franco replaces the Republic's flag on his headquarters with the old monarchist flag, stirring discontent within the junta. The junta then arrive in Salamanca to meet with Franco and his generals, with whom Unamuno is called to meet. Unamuno attempts to plead for Coco's release, and is told that his case will be reviewed. Unamuno is then quietly confronted by Millán-Astray about his unwillingness to sign the manifesto, leaving Unamuno to make a decision. The junta leave to hold a vote on the leadership question, during which Millán-Astray exhorts his colleagues to vote for Franco. At the same time, the administration of the University of Salamanca meet regarding the manifesto. Unamuno assents and signs, while Franco is voted in as commander-in-chief. While leaving the meeting, Unamuno is met by Coco's wife, who presents him a letter testifying to her husband's innocence. Meanwhile, Franco visits a cathedral, where he is inspired by an image of

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...

to relieve the siege of the Alcázar, earning more fervor for his cause. Unamuno meets with Salvador in the countryside, with whom he debates regarding the war. During the walk back, Salvador is accosted and arrested by Falangists, leaving Unamuno to walk back alone in the rain. He slips into a delirious state for several days, after which he attempts to make a personal appeal to Franco and his wife to have his colleagues released; the attempt fails, and Unamuno, anguished, informs Coco's wife. Meanwhile, Millán-Astray confronts Unamuno once again and informs him that he will be taking Franco's place in a Nationalist event at the university the following day. At the event, Unamuno initially refuses to speak, though he changes his mind after reading Coco's wife's letter. He presents a speech criticizing the nationalists, causing the crowd to turn on him, thereby forcing him out. An epilogue details the fates of several of the figures in the film.

Cast

Release

The film had its world premiere on September 6, 2019, at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

. The film was also included in the Official Section of the 2019

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; , ) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spain, Spanish city of Donostia, Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Countr ...

. Distributed by

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

through their

Buena Vista International Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

distribution label, the film was released in cinemas in Spain on September 27, 2019.

Millán-Astray controversy

The ''Plataforma Patriótica Millán-Astray'' (Millán-Astray Patriotic Platform), an organization of veterans of the

Spanish Legion For centuries, Spain recruited foreign soldiers to its army, forming the foreign regiments () such as the Regiment of Hibernia (formed in 1709 from Irishmen who fled their own country in the wake of the Flight of the Earls and the Penal la ...

, accused the script writers of plagiarism of the 1941 work ''Unamuno's Last Lecture'' by Luis Portillo, a text the organization claims is defamatory towards

, founder of the Spanish Legion. The accusation was based on the content of the official trailers. The organization demanded the return of the public funds received for the making of the film.

Reception

Critical response

On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a score of 55 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Dennis Harvey of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' gave it a mixed review and wrote: "This is a worthy enterprise that errs on the side of caution, carrying the slightly stale whiff of awards-bait cinema in which greatness is frequently signaled but inspiration somehow lacking." Jonathan Holland of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' called it "Ambitious in scope, carefully crafted and featuring several fine performances" but was in the final impression felt that the film had been limited by its faithfulness to the book.

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "44" , 2020 , , rowspan = "2" , 25th Forqué Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Actor , , Karra Elejalde , , , - , rowspan = "4" ,

7th Feroz Awards The 7th award ceremony of the Feroz Awards was held at the Teatro Auditorio Ciudad de Alcobendas in Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, on January 16, 2020. The ceremony was hosted by María Hervás and was televised by Telemadrid. Nominees Nominati ...

, ,

Best Actor (film) ''Best Actor'' is a 2010 Malayalam-language comedy drama film co-written and directed by Martin Prakkat. It stars Mammootty, Sruthi Ramakrishnan, Lal, Sreenivasan, Salim Kumar, Vinayakan, Nedumudi Venu, Joju George, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, ...

, , Karra Elejalde , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , Best Supporting Actor (film) , , Eduard Fernández , , , - , Best Original Score , , Alejandro Amenábar , , , - , Best Trailer , , Rafa Martínez , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

12th Gaudí Awards The 12th Gaudí Awards, organised by the Catalan Film Academy, were presented on 19 January 2020 at in Barcelona. Directed by Jordi Prat and produced by Dagoll Dagom, the gala was hosted by . The nominations were read by Anna Castillo and Oriol P ...

, , Best Actor , , Karra Elejalde , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Supporting Actor , , Eduard Fernández , , , - , rowspan = "8" , 75th CEC Medals , , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "8" , , - , Best Director , , Alejandro Amenábar , , , - , Best Actor , , Karra Elejalde , , , - , Best Supporting Actor , , Eduard Fernández , , , - , Best New Actor , , Santi Prego , , , - , Best Original Screenplay , , Alejandro Amenábar, Alejandro Hernández , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alex Catalán , , , - , Best Editing , , Carolina Martínez Urbina , , , - , rowspan = "17" ,

34th Goya Awards The 34th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE), honored the best in Spanish films of 2019 and took place at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Málaga on 25 January 2020 ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "17" , , - ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, , Alejandro Amenábar , , , - , Best Actor , , Karra Elejalde , , , - , Best Supporting Actor , , Eduard Fernández , , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Nathalie Poza , , , - , Best New Actor , , Santi Prego , , , - , Best New Actress , , Ainhoa Santamaría , , , - ,

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

, , Alejandro Amenábar, Alejandro Hernández , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alex Catalán , , , - , Best Editing , , Carolina Martínez Urbina , , , - , Best Art Direction , , Juan Pedro de Gaspar , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Carla Pérez de Álbeniz , , , - ,

Best Sound The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, , Aitor Berenguer, Gabriel Gutiérrez , , , - , Best Special Effects , , Raúl Romanillos, Juanma Nogales , , , - , Best Costume Design , , Sonia Grande , , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyles , , Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver and Nacho Díaz , , , - , Best Original Score , , Alejandro Amenábar , , , - , rowspan = "4" , 29th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actor in a Leading Role , , Karra Elejalde , , , , rowspan = "4" , , - , rowspan = "2" , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Nathalie Poza , , , - , Inma Cuevas , , , - , Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role , , Eduard Fernández , , , - , rowspan = "7" ,

7th Platino Awards The 7th Platino Awards honoured the best in Ibero-American films of 2019 presented by the Entidad de Gestión de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales (EGEDA) and the Federación Iberoamericana de Productores Cinematográficos y Audiovisuales ...

, ,

, , Alejandro Amenábar , , , , rowspan = "7" , , - ,

, , Karra Elejalde , , , - , Best Screenplay , , Alejandro Amenábar, Alejandro Hernández , , , - , Best Original Score , , Alejandro Amenábar , , , - , Best Cinematography , , Alex Catalán , , , - , Best Art Direction , , Juan Pedro de Gaspar , , , - ,

, , Aitor Berenguer, Gabriel Gutiérrez , ,

References

External links

* {{Miguel de Unamuno 2010s historical drama films 2019 war drama films 2019 drama films 2019 films Argentine historical drama films Argentine war drama films Films about Francisco Franco Films about military personnel Films about writers Films directed by Alejandro Amenábar Films scored by Alejandro Amenábar Films involved in plagiarism controversies Films set in 1936 Films set in Morocco Films set in Spain Films set in the 1930s Spanish Civil War films Spanish historical drama films Spanish war drama films 2010s Spanish-language films Films about coups d'état Buena Vista International films MOD Producciones films Films shot in the province of Salamanca 2010s Spanish films 2010s Argentine films Films about Francoist repression English-language historical drama films Miguel de Unamuno