No Man's Land (2001)
Genre: War / Comedy
Duration: 98 minuten
Alternative title: Ničija Zemlja
Country:
Bosnia and Herzegovina / France / Slovenia / Italy / United Kingdom / Belgium
Directed by: Danis Tanovic
Stars: Branko Đurić, Rene Bitorajac and Filip Sovagovic
IMDb score:
7,9 (50.428)
Releasedate: 8 September 2001
No Man's Land plot
"A lot can happen between the lines"
It is 1993 and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is in full swing. A Serb and a Bosnian, each other's arch enemies, end up in a trench together. There they are stuck and they will have to work together. The UN gets wind of it and tries to help them, but is tied behind its back by its own rules.
Actors and actresses
Ciki
Nino
Cera
Sergeant Marchand
Michel
Pierre
Jane Livingstone
Captain Dubois
Colonel Soft
Martha
Reviews & comments
timburton
-
- 1296 messages
- 632 votes
"The Smurfs are here! The Smurfs are here!"
What a compelling, tragic comedy this is, lightly portraying war, the Yugoslav war in general, the UN and the cultural differences in Europe (not just the Balkans). Could it have something to do with the fact that France had a big finger in the pie? Because the man who plays the British officer certainly portrays the biggest stereotype of an arrogant, disgusting Englishman. It could have been a bit more ridiculous for me, as I know the chaotic characters and storylines from other Balkan films. The pace was also a bit too slow at times, in my opinion. I don't have a problem with 'slow movies', but then the rest (direction, acting, etc.) should be interesting enough not to bother you with the pace itself. My Serbo-Croatian is unfortunately not good enough to hear the difference between a Serbian and Bosnian accent, while that will probably be an added value in understanding Ničija Zemlja's humor. To call this the best (Former) Yugoslavian film or Balkan film is absolutely untrue and yet somewhat an insult to the wonderful film oeuvre that this peninsula has added to European Cinema. Other than that, I mostly enjoyed myself and there wasn't much bad to say.
Translated from Dutch · View original
arno74
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- 8700 messages
- 3342 votes
Beautiful sweet and sour film about the civil war in what was once called Yugoslavia. A host of elements cleverly pass by, including the absurdity of war, the destructiveness of mines, the role of the media, and the role of the UN. Moreover, it is also one of the few films I know in which the UN plays a role that goes beyond background filling in the images. (even though in this film the role of the UN in a war is portrayed as a kind of background filling )
The sourness of the war is sweetened with the necessary humor (in a French/Belgian style I believe), without the film making us forget that a war is really sour. In that sense, I think it offers a more realistic and complete picture than many Hollywood war films. Surprising movie.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14602 messages
- 4554 votes
This movie started off mediocre, as if it didn't know if this was a drama with a lot of death, destruction and blood or more of a comedy. You saw images of the first, they acted like the second. And that bites a lot. After that, the film clearly opts for comedy and the film becomes an entertaining farce. It all still remains a bit superficial and simplistic at times, but on the whole the message is conveyed quite well and all kinds of parties (especially the UN) are made fun of. A few nice running gags (French who always want to talk French) and not a second too long. 3.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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