A truly original work from Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson, Woman at War is a whimsical action film about a middle-aged eco-terrorist fighting local industrialization. Starring the wonderful Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir as Halla, an upbeat choir director who secretly dismantles power lines in her spare time,  Woman at War is also a musical of sorts, with both an Icelandic combo and a Ukrainian vocal trio punctuating the action. It’s doubtful that the issue of environmental conservation has ever been handled in such a delightful manner.

When we first meet Halla, she’s busily cutting down power lines that mar the gorgeous, almost otherworldly-seeming Icelandic countryside, as musicians playing percussive tuba, organ and drums look on. When she tries to escape a surveillance helicopter, Halla comes upon a gruff but sympathetic local farmer (Jóhann Sigurðarson), who agrees to help her. Apparently this is not the first time she’s sabotaged the power project.

Later, when Halla shows up for choir practice, one of its members takes her aside and begs her to stop her activities. Baldvin (Jörundur Ragnarsson), the only one who knows her secret mission, is a government minister who initially supported her, but now thinks she’s gone too far. Not only has China gotten cold feet about doing business in Iceland, but, the U.S. has launched a satellite to monitor the area. Meanwhile a young Spanish-speaking foreigner (Juan Camillo Roman Estrada) is taken in for questioning.

As Halla practices tai chi at home amid posters of Gandhi and Mandela, the power-line sabotage is all over TV, with much speculation about the “green army” that is impeding the country’s industrial progress. Meanwhile, she receives a letter about an adoption application she filed years before. (The musicians, now playing in her house, watch this development with curiosity.) Halla must decide whether to take in an orphaned Ukrainian girl, which would obviously complicate her current life. 

At this point, a trio of singers wearing traditional Ukrianian dresses appear to add their beautifully plaintive musical commentary to the film.

Halla discusses the adoption with her yoga-teaching twin Àsa (also played by Geirharðsdóttir), who encourages her to do it (having no idea about the eco-terrorism). Halla — the film’s title obviously refers also to her internal conflict — isn’t so sure. She distributes a flyer declaring her mission and exhorting others to rise up and “Stop the war against the earth,” signing it “The Mountain Woman.” As the flyer is photographed, texted and posted on social media, we see the tuba player receiving one of the texts, one of the film’s many droll moments. The mysterious Mountain Woman becomes the subject of even more frenzied news coverage.

The tough, resourceful Halla continues her mission amid the rock formations of the beautiful Icelandic highlands with her biggest move yet. This involves going head-to-head with pesky drones, disguising herself as a sheep and generally acting like a badass superhero. (Impressively, Geirharðsdóttir did all her own stunts.) The hapless Spanish foreigner keeps getting apprehended by authorities, though he’s clearly just a convenient scapegoat.

The action builds to a scene at the airport, resolving in a classic twist (which is nonetheless satisfying). Though some nuances are doubtlessly lost on those unfamiliar with Icelandic culture (like this writer), Woman at War is still immensely enjoyable. To his credit, Erlingsson has made a somewhat surreal yet controlled film that is both pointed and playful. No easy feat to pull off so skillfully.

Woman at War opens in New York on Friday, March 1, at the IFC Center and Landmark at 57 West.

—Marina Zogbi