No Man’s Land |
![]() Attention seekers. Chiki and Nino try to catch the eye of their respective armies... | |||
dir-scr Danis Tanovic with Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis, Katrin Cartlidge, Simon Callow, Serge-Henri Valcke, Sacha Kremer, Alain Eloy, Mustafa Nadarevic, Bogdan Diklic, Tanja Ribic release US 7.Dec.01; UK 17.May.02 winner Best Foreign Film - Oscar 01 01/Bosnia 1h38 ![]() | ||||
![]() The film effectively builds the tension, examining the issues without ever resorting to obvious answers (as if there were any!) and keeping the characters' internal conflicts at the centre. It's powerful stuff, and it highlights the complexities of this specific conflict in a new way, while at the same time making a strong statement about war in general. The UN's non-intervention policies get a good skewering--and well-deserved too, as one character observes how non-intervention itself is a way of taking sides. There's also real meaning in the way original languages are used--misunderstandings, arrogance and all. The characters are all very well played; each one is natural and engaging, and rather dangerous in their own way! In the end the script might be just a bit too tightly written--its theatrical structure is apparent in every aspect, from the setting to the story's structure. But this doesn't lessen its power--on the contrary, it makes it a serious artistic achievement we can't afford to ignore.
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