Synopsis: One week after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, a small squad of soldiers from the Army of Republika Srpska are, under UN supervision, clearing a rural area of land mines they themselves laid. It's long, painstaking work that leaves no room for error. After a (not so civil) war lasting over three years, these men are exhausted, scared, and scarred - each one haunted by his experiences, psychologically and physically beaten nearly to submission. Every movement is a chore, every thought and every word adding to the weight upon their shoulders, and each man desperate to go home, to a place that no longer exists for them, and each still painfully aware that, despite the fine words of the deal-makers, the shadow of the war, not to mention the danger of their current task, could still see them listed as casualties of war.
Could things get any worse?
Yes they can.
A routine patrol uncovers an enigma. A civilian outcast - Daba the Lame (a magnificently sinister Tihomir Stanic) - a chain-smoking simpleton with a gift for saying the words that will get under people's skin. Is he but a simple man, released (or escaped) from a mental institution? If so, why was he walled-up in a room? Or, of course, he could be the very devil himself...
Neprijatelj is a thought-provoking Serbian psychological thriller written by Djordje Milosavljevic, and directed by Dejan Zecevic. It's a grim, and tragic tale of friendship, camaraderie, and, ultimately, enmity - produced from the ashes and the deep, deep scars of a country which, I'm sure, is still coming to terms with the horrors of the war which racked it some 20 years ago.
This film, though focusing on a band of Serbian soldiers remains above picking sides, or advocating one version of history over another. Instead, Neprijatelj focuses on the damage done to those who participate, both physical and psychological, and shows how finely balanced is the modicum of control the individual has when balanced on the razor sharp edge of war, where any wrong move will rip them apart. The ambiguity of the true nature of Daba is a key element of the plot. Almost every action he makes, or the consequences he creates, could as equally be supernatural in origin, as they could mundane.
The film is stark - it's washed out colours, a palette of greys, browns and greens, make it seem almost monochrome. Everything we see, the land, the buildings, and the beliefs of the men themselves, is burnt out, broken, and beyond repair. It's carefully crafted characters, and well written script allows us to know these men, and like them (for the most part) - every word, every gesture, helps to build the picture of the hell these men have (so far...) lived through. We know that bad things are coming (it's something of a horror film, after all), and when they oh so inevitably do, it affects us - these men are not heroes, they not trying to be heroes. What they're trying to be (with a couple of exceptions) are survivors.
Exactly who neprijatelj - the enemy - is, is perhaps the central question of the film, and it is one that has many answers. Is it the (possibly) malevolent Daba? The unseen Bosniak forces (represented, perhaps, by the unseen, yet agonisingly present land mines that surround our protagonists)? The war? Or even the squad itself? Any one of these has merit as the answer, and, perhaps there is more than one enemy at hand.
And what of Daba? Is he truly the devil? If so, what sins have these soldiers committed that has cursed them to his personal diabolical attentions? Or is Daba - who uses nothing but his words to cause violence, chaos, and suffering - more representative of those who urge their followers into the war, by finding enemies who must be destroyed at all costs, lest they 'destroy you and all you hold dear'? Those who manipulate, through fear, blame, and hatred, 'normal' people into situations and acts of great suffering?
Or is he, perhaps, just a simple man, unwittingly become an avatar for suspicions and hatreds of wounded, hurting soldiers?
Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe it's much more straightforward.
Maybe Neprijatelj is the simple tale of simple soldiers against an adversary (or THE adversary!), but, even if not intentional, I can't help feeling that this film is filled with more subtle commentary and questions. We know these men. We've met these men. We may even be these men. Can we truly believe that we would not end up the same in such circumstances? War brings out the worst in humanity, yet sometimes it seems a necessary evil, but is there truly any such thing? Are we ultimately damned by our actions, even when the intentions are meant to be good? The road to hell is paved... and all that.
Neprijatelj is a good film. Its pace is slow, and it takes a while to get going. This will no doubt put off some, but at the same time it's unsettling, if not outright scary, with a mounting sense of dread and unease. There are, however, a few predictable plot points, and a couple of standard set pieces, and stock character devices that I felt were unnecessary - these, though, are few, and easily forgivable.
But Neprijatelj has a secret weapon up its sleeve. An incredible performance by Tihomir Stanic as the possibly diabolical Daba - one of the best movie Devils I've ever seen. This devil, true or imagined, is perhaps more like his biblical counterpart than many others. He corrupts, not by deeds or violence, but by word, and thought, and he seems to be having a devilishly good time whilst doing it.
7/10 - solid, if not spectacular, but thought provoking nonetheless.
11 out of 13 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
