A gripping new war documentary which has already been hailed as ‘superb’ and has received an impressive perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes is now available on Disney+. Love + War, the latest nonfiction feature from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, offers an intricate and captivating portrait of Pulitzer Prize-winning conflict photographer Lynsey Addario, whose career has been defined by both extraordinary courage and personal sacrifices.

Addario has built her reputation on capturing some of the most searing images of modern conflict, from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Ukraine. Her work has exposed atrocities, influenced global perception and, in some instances, altered the course of humanitarian conversations. Every deployment, however, takes its toll.

The film reveals the emotional strain and effect of repeatedly leaving behind her husband and two young sons, as well as the unimaginable pressures she faces when stepping into active war zones.

Kidnapped twice and often operating in spaces dominated by men, Addario has long navigated the razor’s edge between professional duty and personal safety.

Love + War foregrounds not only the brutality she documents but also the quieter, internal conflict, her struggle to balance a vital yet dangerous calling with the demands and guilt of motherhood.

Drawing from Addario’s extensive archive alongside striking footage from collaborators such as Ukrainian photojournalist Andriy Dubchak and cinematographer Thorsten Thielow, the film delivers a vivid, at times overwhelming visual record of contemporary conflict.

Early in the documentary, Addario recounts how one of her images from Ukraine became among the first pieces of evidence proving Russian forces targeted civilians. Other sections revisit dangerous assignments in Afghanistan, Sudan and Libya, where she and several colleagues were captured by pro-Gaddafi forces.

Cameras also follow Addario at home, revealing tender moments with her sons and conversations with her husband, Paul de Bendern, who speaks candidly about the emotional cost of supporting a partner compelled to risk her life for her work

The documentary made its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 before a robust festival run, including appearances at Camden, Hamptons, BFI London, Woodstock and AFI Fest. After a limited theatrical release on October 29, it debuted on National Geographic on November 6 before arriving on Disney+ on November 7, 2025.

One person on IMDb gave the film a perfect 10/10 score and called it ‘simply superb.’

They added: “This documentary is emotional, important and unforgettable. Everyone should see it because the consequences of war are devastating, long lasting for everyone especially for women and children. Thank you Lynsey for being extraordinary.

Someone else wrote on Rotten Tomatoes: “This isn’t just a documentary, it’s an experience that pulls you in into a war photographers world right away.

“From the moment the camera starts rolling, we’re alongside Lynsey Addario, in the middle of Ukraine’s invasion back in 2022. The real-time footage is raw, and heartbreakingly at the same time.

“You hear the cries, see the fear, hear every bullet and see the bombs going off at any given time. The story isn’t just about the chaos inside war zones though.

“It’s about the quiet, personal war Lynsey also fights within herself. A push and pull between her duty and motherhood.”