A Private War

Marie Colvin (1956-2012) wasn’t particularly interested in 'embedded journalism'. The war correspondent for The Sunday Times did not remain obediently behind the lines, but penetrated to the flaming core of armed conflicts. She stood on battlefields in East Timor, Chechnya, Libya and Sierra Leone, among others. There, she revealed war crimes and personal suffering, and interviewed rebel leaders and dictators. She lost an eye in Sri Lanka during a grenade attack. In the end, a bombardment during the siege of the Syrian city of Homs cost her her life.

Colvin was driven by a primaeval sense of being a reporter: seeking truth with a large dose of humanism. But her work also demanded sacrifice. She tried to soothe the traumatising misery she faced every day with sex and alcohol. Real relationships never lasted very long. Rosamund Pike plays Marie Colvin as a woman who has been penetrated to her very core by war. An impressive role.