The talent of Benedikt Erlingsson when conceiving the staging and intelligent humour was clear in 2013 with his first feature film, De caballos y hombres (Of Horses and Men), which conquered several prizes and was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. This first impression is confirmed with his second feature film, La mujer de la montaña (Woman at War). It possesses a unique balance between several genres such as comedy, drama, suspense, fast-paced action, a touch of fable and contemporary realism in the fight against the destruction of the planet.
At her fifties, Halla, a very independent woman, secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminium industry, which is polluting her country. As Halla’s actions grow bolder, she succeeds in pausing the negotiations between the Icelandic government and the corporation building a new aluminium smelter. But right as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that changes everything. Her application to adopt a child has finally been accepted. The protagonist faces the dilemma of how to reconcile her environmental struggle with her great desire to be a mother.