No Man's Land (2001)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Danis Tanovic

Writer:

Danis Tanovic (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot:

Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1993 at the time of the heaviest fighting between the two warring sides. Two soldiers from opposing sides in the conflict, Nino and Ciki, become trapped in no man's land, whilst a third soldier is becomes a living booby trap.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Trench | Serb | Mine | Booby Trap

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 26 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Branko Djuric	...	Ciki
Rene Bitorajac	...	Nino
Filip Sovagovic	...	Cera
Georges Siatidis	...	Marchand
Serge-Henri Valcke	...	Dubois
Sacha Kremer	...	Michel
Alain Eloy	...	Pierre
Mustafa Nadarevic	...	Old Serbian soldier
Bogdan Diklic	...	Serbian officer
Simon Callow	...	Soft
Katrin Cartlidge	...	Jane Livingstone
Tanja Ribic	...	Martha
Branko Zavrsan	...	Deminer
Djuro Utjesanovic	...	Bosnian guide
Mirza Tanovic	...	Bosnian officer

Also Known As:

Nicija zemlja (Bosnia and Herzegovina: Croatian title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

98 min | Turkey:90 min (TV version)

Country:

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Slovenia | Italy | France | UK | Belgium

Language:

English | French | Bosnian | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:All | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Slovenia

Company:

Noé Productions

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When the bomb disposal expert is examining the mine, his visor is up and so offering no protection.

Quotes:

[last words]
Cameraman: You're sure you don't want me to film the trench?
Jane Livingstone: No. A trench is a trench. They're all the same.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Danis Tanovic, portrait en 16 MM (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Anterija

A No-Win Situation

Three soldiers one Serb and two Bosnians are caught up in a countryside trench in no man's land between Serbian and Croatian lines, while the UN unwillingly gets involved in the situation because of media pressure.

This film is a critical satire of the meaningless of war and on how no one wants to get involved- but actually sit back (the UN) and watch or actually film the carnage (the media). It depicts the bleakness of the war, the UN's involvement and the intruding media presentation of it in black humour and sharp sarcasm, while still the suspense and the humanity of the situation doesn't get discarded- but makes it more fascinating and quite constructive.

The intelligent script and story are very fresh in portraying the madness of war and also building up the tension that never falters, as we see how much the two countries hate each other, with the soldiers continuously blaming each other for the war and the stupidity of the situation that they are in. It was definitely an unpredictable and confronting war story that didn't try to manipulate the circumstances for a change- but actually draws you into the mess.

The thing is at first you don't feel any for sorrow for the soldiers separately, as they are no worse than each other- but then after while we come to know them in detail and see their point of view. The main hatred you feel is towards the UN Leaders, as they sit back, unwilling to budge, while their soldiers sit around wanting to help... you would know what I mean especially at the end of the film, as the ending really does pack a punch and makes you question humanity.

Not only the UN's priorities and methods are questioned- but also the artful and shallow media that see this as good news scoop then actually coming across as caring for the welfare of the soldiers. There's one quote that provides that point from a news reporter that declines to film the bunker and explains that when you've seen one bunker, you've seen them all… which is pretty ironic, well you'll what I mean when you see it.

The performances are impressive and truly absorbing from the three soldiers caught in this mess: Branko Djuric as Ciki, Rene Bitorajac as Nino and Filip Sovagovic as Cera . This film reminded very much of 'Three Kings' in the humour side of things, but also the grief you feel for those involved in the war- but 'No man's land' is far more involving and far less buoyant than 'Three Kings'.

What you get is a solid anti-war film that keeps you gripped to the end and when it finishes, it definitely leaves you pondering.