User Reviews

This could have been a very depressive movie depicting the pointlessness, destruction and despair of war. In a war torn, besieged Sarajevo, society disintegrates, people's lives are shattered and normalcy becomes a dream.

Instead this film is an elegy to humanity that manages to beat the odds and survive through acts of love and compassion. Of course, there are many films like that, but in this one, the director manages, shorty after the end of the war, while the wounds are still fresh, to avoid to focus on any political or ethnical issues and is concentrating on the human factor and this is what makes this film so powerful. People, all sorts of people are trapped in the hell that is Sarajevo, friends and enemies alike.

The plight of the innocents to survive, each hour, each day and night, escaping random and senseless indiscriminate dying is heart rending, but there is hope expressed by the two children and contrasted strongly with the despair of the poet, that cannot find a solace in his art: "who cares about art now?", he wonders. Or "how can nightmares be worse than what we are living through now?".

Very good acting from the main characters, especially from the children, fine directing and haunting photography of a ruined Sarajevo. A must see!

As a Sarajevan who did not spend time in Sarajevo during the war, but heard many stories about how it went during the war. Everyone told me this is the most accurate film made about Sarajevo in the war. So please watch it! And try to imagine how would you feel in the situation like that. Let us hope no one would ever be in the situation like that in Europe ever again! There is a memorial for the children of Sarajevo killed in war in the central park in Sarajevo.

Sarajevo did not deserve that! It is an Winter Olympic City, and as like that should of deserved better, but geopolitical faith intervened...

A solid film, mixing raw war-horror with its psychological effects and challenges; chiefly, the immense grief and struggle that is associated with attempting to live and survive.

I cannot fathom how a person can go through something as traumatic and devastating as a genocidal civil war, and manage to release a film about it only 2 years after the bullets stopped flying, and the bombs stopped bursting. I could not possibly arrange my thoughts in any coherent way after dealing with something the likes of this, at least not for a long, long time. So much of it otherwise turns to noise. It is an absolute miracle that Kenovic was able to put something out of this quality, this quickly. I think he really did something serviceable here.

Part of why I find this movie incredible: the film cameras, the set, the actors; everyone and everything is nearly completely authentic. It is an almost absolutely sure thing that any person you look at in this movie lost many loved ones to the sort of scenes they depict and act within. It is possible that many of the actors were already in Sarajevo before joining this production. Their acting would involve simply going about their lives like it was yesterday. The buildings, rubble, and general devastation you see, is more than likely just how Sarajevo still was at time, due to the extent of the shelling and gunfire fire the city endured helplessly during those nearly 4 years of time. There would have been no difficulty in finding shoot locations, clothes, military costumes...It was more than readily available. Really, it was all quite regular.

Barring any number of sentiments on the writing itself, I think that really makes this to be something special and one-of-a-kind. But really. I think it's simply a good movie.

Finished watching this fabulous movie few minutes ago. I'll try to summarize my view as short as I can. This movie shows war as it is; mindless decisions of those who started it, poor people struggling to survive and find better future, orphans problems, war criminal etc., and how it affects on society (family!) and individuals (suicides). Mustafa Nadarevic did a great role in movie, by making enormous efforts (greater than he gave to his own family) to give two orphans chance to survive and at last, better future. Even he haves drinking problems, he can abstain himself not doing wrong decisions and think reasonably. He deserved more prizes for his characteristic style and honest acting.

Almedin Leleta and his movie brother Almir Podgorica, 10 and 13 years old when movie was first shown, also empathized their orphans roles and shown great talent. Sincerely, I can only recommend you this movie, particularly if you are from war affected country.

War torn Sarajevo and life turns into a game as you play dodge the bullets. Hamza, (Mustafa Nadarevic), is a poet with visions of his own death by hanging, a way to escape the misery that surrounds him. Until one night he stumbles upon two orphans who put a hold on his misery as he attempts to get them out of hell. War is ugly but those who suffer are the ones with a will for peace and harmony.

This brilliant film pictures accurately the cruelty and absurdity of a war that doesn't say its name. How can we stand still when we see the distress of innocent children (and adults are children too in that case) facing that, the big mute violence without sense. As a European viewer, I am also very shocked by the proximity of the facts, the decay of civilisation so close to Europe itself. By the way, what do we do exactly to help these people ?

It's a slightly dramatized documentary, really. It's one of the tens of thousands of similar stories occured during '92-'96.

Shot right after the end of the longest siege on a capital in modern war history, which has become one of the best-known symbols of a large scale ethnic cleansing campaign, it doesn't need any decorations. What you see is what those people suffered through for 4 years, while the "big powers" of Europe, the ultimate defenders of human rights, have just watched the atrocity taking place right in the heart of the continent.

Saw the movie in Sarajevo when it first came out. Bosnian Language. Did not have to know the language to totally enjoy this movie. The movie is a sad commentary of what occurred in Bosnia during the previous Bush administration. Very realistic, acting superb.

This movie is so realistic that could be said that is filmed with hidden camera during the war. I am 40 years old and I cry every time when I watch this movie cause I been there and I can testify how realistic this movie is. This is by far the best bosnian movie ever made and Mustafa Nadarevic perfomance is oscar worthy!

This one is fine. Since it is about place and time where and when I was born, I could more easily interpret this. It is honest, realistic, emotional, deep, simple. Everything looks as it looked in real war and after it. Nice presence of variety of animals, people, each with its own unique character, look, location. Emotions and characters (subjectivity) dominate. I could easily associate all the locations, objects, pictures with the real ones outside of this movie. There are so many small things, basic things, that somehow best associate of the war. Simple argument or place or object already tells everything about the war and can be easily remembered by that. Nice presence of art, effects, specific sentences, that all make this beautiful movie. Reminds me of other topics similar to war for which this movie would be appropriate too like poverty, homelessness, multinationalism... Everything also looks like some dream or magic, because of presence of various effects and ideas. Many characters look funny, creative, and unique. The best part was the depth and realistic insight into dream, which looks like real and appropriate dream. So good war movie, but best for those from around Sarajevo or at least Bosnia, because they can easily recognize many things well known to them. Also poetic, which makes this even more emotional and artistic.

Using a script written to the alimón by the poet Abdulah Sidran (When Papá goes on a trip, do you Remind Dolly Bell?) and does Kenovic, bring near us with a real lyricism and constuido evidencing the contrast with the crudeness of the reality, about the useless war in the old Yugoslavia.

Ademir Kenovic (MGM Sarajevo: Covjek, Bog, Monstrum -1994 - and Kuduz -89 -), its realizador, puts us of in front of the barbarism, in a sober narrative tone where you/they are not allowed to blackmail for anything, not even for the presence of two children amid a bloody war, to only transform it in a combination of fondness with the cruel reality that one lives, without easy tears neither excesses of blood, or constant approaches to wounded or mutilated members. About the useless war in the former Yugoslavia, they also exist Territory Comanche" (that was projected in Rooms Jorge Stahl the last year) and that it is in reportorial tone, The Look of Ulises and Undeground", but this of Kenovic is something special. It is the history of a poet, Hamza (Mustafa Nadarevic) who after having him lost everything -family and properties - it is given to the task of protecting two orphan children, Adis (Almedin Leleta) and the deaf-mute Kerim (Almir Podgorica) as well as to a wounded dog, and of looking for the aunt that is the only survivor of their family that could take care of them, but to look for it they have to pass big risks. Kenovic, besides showing with sobriety the drama, incrusts the black humor with Hamza who when losing everything, he/she hallucinates to see its wife and daughter (Jasna Diklic and Look at it Lambic) like part of that fear to what faces and of the one that wanted to escape it hallucinates to be commit suicide* being hung of a rope. In fact with their suicide in that way, it is like it begins the tape. It also highlights when showing us how in spite of the misfortune of the war that has hardly left anything in foot, some neighbors defend a tree so that it is not demolished, or the firemen that don't stop to fulfill their duty. The tape is valuable not only for its film work and to be filmed in the place of the facts, but also for its questions of the useless thing of the war, of the reason the intervention of the NATO, of the reason the world tolerates éso, as well as it questions to the blue helmets of the UN who pass a navidad like kings, while in the survivors' Sarajevo great part they have several days without eating. The work of Kenovic is more than a warning, is a call to the tolerance, to avoid to arrive to situations so lamentable and absurd as that of Sarajevo.

The performance of Mustafa Nadarevic (Gospa, Washed Out, The Way Home, Captain America, Evil Blood, History of Croacia, When dad is of Trip) it is very outstanding and realist.