Angela's War (1984): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1984, Angela's War is a drama and romance film directed by Eija-Elina Bergholm, running about 97 minutes.

What it’s about. In this melodrama about love in wartime, Angela (Ida-Lotta Backman) is a Finnish nurse in Lapland who begins a torrid affair with Thomas Schmidt (Mathieu Carriere), a wounded German army captain. Their love for each other is verboten in Finland, where the Germans occupy northern Lapland until the end of the war. Finland had formed a brief alliance with Germany to fight an invading Russia in the winter of 1939, but when the Russians won that battle and took more than 16,000 square miles of land away from Finland, it was too late to successfully rout the Germans from Finnish soil. So for the entire war, the Finns were fighting Germany on their own national territory -- which makes the love affair between a Finnish nurse and German soldier a very complex issue. While Angela receives different reactions from her friends, acquaintances, and relatives, she continues on with her love for the German, against odds which are greater as time goes by.

Who’s in it. Angela's War stars Ida-Lotta Backman as Angela Anders, Mathieu Carrière as Thomas Schmidt, Jörn Donner as Gabriel and Erland Josephson as Anton Goldberg, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Angela's War page.

If you liked it. Fans of Angela's War tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.