Life During Wartime
2009 · 97 min · Director: Todd Solondz
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Separated from her incarcerated husband Bill (Hinds), Trish (Janney) is about to be married again. Bill is a pedophile, so Trish couldn't be more excited to have Harvey (Lerner), a "normal" father figure for her two sons. But when Bill is released from prison and the boys finally meet their future stepdad, the family is forced to decide whether to forgive or to forget. Trish's sister, the virginal, angelic Joy (Henderson), is also haunted by ghosts of lovers past. On leave from her degenerate husband, Allen (Williams), and her job at a New Jersey correctional facility, Joy unwittingly leaves behind a trail of shame and exposed secrets wherever she goes. In one of the film's most stylized sequences, the image of Joy walking the dark streets of Miami in her nightgown maintains her innocence against a backdrop of self-affliction and desire.
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Emotional fingerprint
Life During Wartime (2009) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Confusion 30%, Empathy 25%, Sadness 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Confusion30%
- Empathy25%
- Sadness20%
- Disturbing15%
- Anxiety10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Confusion, Empathy, Sadness. Genres: Comedy, Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Confusion, Empathy and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 66/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Sadness
- Disturbing
- Empathy
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Sadness | Disturbing | Empathy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Sadness | 52 % | 38 % | 27 % | 32 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Humor | 53 % | 26 % | 33 % | 26 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Humor | 52 % | 15 % | 33 % | 22 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Sadness | 56 % | 47 % | 45 % | 38 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Disturbing | 69 % | 56 % | 61 % | 49 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Sadness | 72 % | 57 % | 65 % | 60 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 36′ | Disturbing | 61 % | 46 % | 55 % | 53 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 41′ | Sadness | 53 % | 39 % | 46 % | 36 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 46′ | Sadness | 49 % | 36 % | 39 % | 32 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Humor | 49 % | 37 % | 33 % | 39 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 56′ | Sadness | 54 % | 43 % | 35 % | 43 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Sadness | 56 % | 39 % | 39 % | 38 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Humor | 56 % | 30 % | 40 % | 33 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 70′ | Disturbing | 65 % | 31 % | 55 % | 36 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 75′ | Disturbing | 78 % | 48 % | 73 % | 48 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 80′ | Sadness | 86 % | 68 % | 78 % | 64 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 85′ | Disturbing | 87 % | 70 % | 79 % | 68 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Disturbing | 83 % | 66 % | 66 % | 60 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 95′ | Sadness | 77 % | 68 % | 42 % | 60 % |
Riches to rags
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
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Premise onlyAfterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Timmy Maplewood
Mark
Chloe Maplewood
Hostess
Waiter
Sarah
Eddie
Jesse
Bar Mitzvah Guest (uncredited)
Details
- Directed by
- Todd Solondz
- Written by
- Todd Solondz
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2009
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Confusion
- Data updated
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More like this →Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.





