Current Date:March 29, 2024
No Mans Land

Movie 4 D Week : No Man’s Land (2001)

Movie 4 d week : No Man’s Land (2001)

Language : English, French, Bosnian, German

Director : Danis Tanovic

The story is set during the 1993 Bosnia Herzegovina war. A Bosnian, Ciki (Branko Djuric) and a Serb, Nino (Rene Bitojarac) are caught in no man’s land, a trench that divides the war-torn Serbia and Herzegovina. Another Bosnian, Cera (Filip Sovagovic), suddenly wakes up to realize there is a mine buried under him. The moment he gets up the mine would bounce into the air and explode. He is caught in a situation while the other two soldiers exchange abuses before they finally decide to get together. The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) has been instructed to keep a neutral stance and stay away from the action. They are forced to act when an intrusive and insensitive media chances upon the story of the two soldiers stuck in the trench, and the other soldier with a landmine under him become news stories. The two soldiers are rescued while the UNPROFOR figures Cera can’t be saved as the mine cannot be defused. Meanwhile the divide is too strong and Ciki ends up killing Nino and he in turn gets shot dead. The other soldier, Cera lying over an active land mine is a statement on the situation we are all in today. An unwanted war we can do nothing about, of people caught in situations not of their own making, of a media to who all that matters is a story, and of the UN who are mere puppets…

When the mine is planted under the soldier the Serbian explains to his junior “It is a bouncing mine. When the enemy steps on it nothing happens. But when the enemy steps off it, it bounces up and explodes about three feet above the ground spraying out 2000 lead bearings that destroys everything within a radius of 50 yards” He plants it below the presumably dead soldier and says “I invented this. When they pick up the body the mine will blow them all to hell”. There hasn’t been a better argument to BAN LAND MINES. The vulgarity of it all.

One of the best films I have seen in a long, long time. A must watch. I would recommend this for screening in schools and colleges. The film has a topic that is universal and is as much a statement on an India –Pakistan, Iran-Iraq, Israel-Palestine or any other war–torn neighbours you can think of. Brings to mind the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain. Hope to watch ‘Hell’ and ’11’09’01’ September 11′ by the same Director, Danis Tanovic.

Also watched ‘Ghajini’. Won’t waste my words, and your time, writing about it. ‘Elegy’ was just about average in-spite of an impressive cast like Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Hopper. It fails to delve into the complex relationships which I would think is the fatal flaw on the movie. Sure would like to read Philip Roth’s novel ‘Dying animal’ on which it is based. Also watched couple of Malayalam films, Ranjith’s ‘Kayyoppu’ which is definitely worth a watch, and Bharathan’s ‘Chamaram’ which was disappointing.

Useless trivia : Just for the record, and if the Oscars mean anything to you, ‘No Man’s Land’ pipped ‘Amelie’ and ‘Lagaan’ to the Best Foreign Language Film Oscars 2001. ‘No Man’s Land’ won at the Cannes, Golden Globe and yeah yeah all that. There is a Peter Werner movie by the same name made in 1987.

And just to rub it in, I have got a copy of the 60 Cannes Winners movies DVD. Be nice to me J.

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