TIFF 2025 Review: Love+War – “This documentary shows us an extraordinary woman.”

Lynsey Addario on assignment in Iridimi Refugee Camp, Wadi Fira, Chad. (National Geographic/Caitlin Kelly).  Courtesy of TIFF

In 2018, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin introduced us to Alex Honnold, a man who was determined to climb a mountain alone, without a rope.  Free Solo, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, wasn’t just all about adrenaline, though certainly it had a lot of that.  It was also about what made Honnold tick, what drove him to pursue this goal, and the effects it had on those close to him.  So it’s no surprise that in their newest documentary, Vasarhelyi and Chin return to this theme as they profile Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lynsey Addario in Love+War.

“So much happens in war that is never meant to be seen,” Addario says in one of her interviews.  And that is her job.  Whether it is in Iraq or Afghanistan, Sudan or now in Ukraine, Addario has been on the ground taking photos, showing the grim realities of war.  Her job is to get that moment of humanity in the click of a shutter, then to get it on the page so the world can see exactly what is happening.  She has shaped the way we see war.  Such was the case when one of her photos from Ukraine showing civilian death was on the front page of the New York Times, proving Russia was targeting them despite their words to the contrary.

While she might spend many weeks in Ukraine, eventually she comes home to her husband Paul and sons, 3-year-old Alfred and 10-year-old Lukas.  She never thought she would get married.  Her job isn’t one that naturally fits with a family.  And Addario is plagued with guilt.  When she is off in the midst of a conflict, she feels guilty that she is not home being present for her children.  When she’s at home, she feels the draw of her work, that she should be there to shoot the photo that reveals to the public an otherwise unknowable story.  After all the wars that Addario has seen, the danger she has been in, the biggest conflict she might face is the internal battle between home and work.

It’s a very humanistic way of looking at this incredible woman, and makes her instantly relatable to many who feel the same way about their work-life balance.  Yet, add to it the stark realization that in Addario’s work, there is always the possibility she doesn’t come back.  She’s been kidnapped, she’s been shot at, and shells have fallen just feet from her position.  It’s something that her husband Paul tries not to think about for self-preservation, and a danger that her older son is just starting to understand, leading to increasing anxiety.  Her family has to make sacrifices for Addario to continue her work.

Love+War has a lot of striking footage and frames from Addario’s conflict photography, but the filmmakers strip it all back for the footage of the family at home.  It is a stark contrast, and makes the look at their family more intimate, and frankly, ordinary.  They’re still dealing with laundry, temper tantrums, and cleaning.  The only difference between them and most families is that Addario is packing her Kevlar vest to go to work.

This documentary shows us an extraordinary woman, one who has excelled in a male-dominated field, who has brought to light women’s issues, and who risks her life to show the public the truth.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, Addario has volumes to her credit.  But what Chin and Vasarhelyi do so well is to contrast the confidant, courageous woman behind the lens with her very familiar struggles.  Can Love+War be part of a balanced equation?  This film doesn’t really answer that question, it’s different for everyone and every circumstance.  But it makes for compelling viewing.

Love+War had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday, September 7.  For more information head to tiff.net