Criminal War

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2012)

Greetings again from the darkness. The Bosnian War is not something most Americans know much about. The cursory western media coverage was matched by the hands-off approach from the UN, until the very end. This movie doesn't shy away from exposing the atrocities of ethnic cleansing and genocide that occurred against civilians. The comparisons to Nazi war camps are inescapable.
This is no place for a history lesson, and I would certainly not be the one to supply it, but some basics are required to somewhat understand what's going on. The reign of Yugoslavian President Tito lasted until his death in 1980. Although much criticism is directed his way, he was able to maintain a society that allowed the co-existence of Bosniak Muslims and Orthodox Serbs. You might recall that in 1984, Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics. Not long after that, the republics began skirmishes that eventually escalated to a complicated civil war lasting from 1992-95 (The Bosnian War).
The film makes no attempt to capture the full scope of the war, instead choosing a microscopic approach by focusing on two people. Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) are dancing cozily in a club when a bomb shatters their date and their lives. Danijel goes on to become a mid-level military leader of the Serbs, while Ajla and her Muslim family and friends are torn apart, some even executed. Ajla ends up as a prisoner at the camp Danijel commands. He manages to protect her from the brutal rapes by soldiers by staking a claim on her and putting the order out that she is not to be touched.
Ajla is an artist and Danijel is a soldier and their earlier dance evolves into a psychological battle of wits, mistrust and escape. Danijel is clearly not of the mindset to be a brutal killer within a war, yet Ajla constantly observes his every movement and even the slightest change in his approach to her and the war. She does what she needs to survive and he uses her as an escape from the atrocities of his day job. The end result of this relationship is both shocking and inevitable.
Danijel's father, Nebojsa, is a senior level military leader who shows up in time to provide us with a brief history lesson dating back 600 years. He takes much pride in the Serbs ability to persevere. Nebojsa is played by Rade Serbedzija, whom many will recognize as the villain from The Saint (1997) and Boris the Blade in Snatch (2000). This is a powerful and frightening character, and we quickly understand why he doubts his son's fortitude. When he finds out about Ajla, we immediately know things are going to get ugly.
After the screening, we were fortunate enough to have a discussion panel sponsored by the World Affairs Council. One of the panel members was a former officer in the Bosnian Army who spent time in two separate concentration camps. Viewing the film was very emotional for him and he said it captured the realities as well as a movie possibly could. Of course, we never lose sight of the fact that what we see on screen are not "real" bullets, not "real" rape, and not "real" blood.
Purposefully held to the end of my comments is the announcement that the film is written, directed and produced by Angelina Jolie. We are aware of her humanitarian efforts and here she works diligently to tell a story that exposes the realities of war and how humanity can disappear. It's not a perfect film (it runs a bit long), but it tells a powerful story that many of us prefer to pretend doesn't exist. As with the Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens, we can't help but wonder what took NATO forces so long to get involved. Capped by an understated and haunting Gabriel Yared score, the film is tough to watch, but also a brutal reminder that war is the ultimate sacrifice and punishment for real people and real families.