Excellent

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2012)

This is a very powerful and important film. I know why there are so many bad reviews. It too hard for people to accept that we have not progressed as a humanity since the Nazis caused the most unbelievable atrocities in this century. Too many reviewers on this site refuse to accept that 50,000 women were raped and ethnic cleansing means killing every living soul one at a time until a final solution is achieved. Everyone should be forced to watch this film. Only through knowledge is there a hope that we will not keep repeating our failures. The story is well told and the characters are real. The Serbs side is told by the father of a sympathetic commander. He has been filled with hatred for Muslims since WW2 killed many of his loved ones and he is out for revenge as all the Serbs are taught to hate. I have seen so many World War 2 movies and we have been taught that it won't happen again and here we see it happening again. It is brutal, painful and real. How could we have allowed this to happen in our lifetime. How could the U.S. have claimed not "to have a dog in this fight?" The cinematography was art, the direction was clear and the acting was heart warming and believable. One reviewer wrote that the cinematography was "too bright" when showing so many rape scenes which would have better shot in the dark. Close your eyes if you want dark, this film is designed to open your eyes and let you see the reality and brutality of war. The goal is to shake you into never supporting war again. It succeeds. I don't care if the director is a famous Hollywood actress or an unknown, she did what she set out to do. Bravo.