Best film on Bosnian conflict

Rating: 9/10 (16 October 2006)

No Man's Land is a war-comedy about soldiers from opposing sides trapped in a bunker between opposing firing lines. It is the story of four soldiers over a period of several hours. The movie is very funny because its very realistic and shows the utter absurdity of war.
One of the two Serbians - the most experienced of all four soldiers - is shot dead, but not until he has lain a bouncing mine under a wounded Bosnian. The wounded Bosnian needs to go to the bathroom real bad and not to urinate. He also wants one of the cigarettes from the pack the other soldiers have swiped from his pocket - except he has a smokers cough. The other two soldiers (one Bosnian one Serb) both come from the same village and scored with the same town beauty who has since emigrated.
Over the space of a few hours, the bunker becomes a ceasefire zone and the story of its inhabitants is blown up into an international media issue - thanks to a compassionate French UN soldier and an intrepid English war correspondent.
Funny, highly watchable and not at all preachy, No Man's Land gets its message on the absurdity of was across very effectively. While watching it, I was alternately reminded of Dog Day Afternoon and The Big Carnival. An excellent anti-war movie with no winners in the end.