No Man's Land Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)October 31st, 2001
NO MAN'S LAND
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When a Bosnian relief squad gets lost in the fog, only one, Ciki (David Straitharn look alike Branko Djuric), survives, but he finds himself stuck with
the dead body of a comrade in a trench in between enemy lines and safety. When
two Serbs come in to investigate, they rig the dead Bosnian body with a spring-loaded bomb before Ciki manages to take out the officer. Now Bosnian Ciki and Serbian Nino (Rene Bitorajac) find themselves in the political conundrum of "No Man's Land."
Writer/director Danis Tanovic's Cannes 2001 Screenplay winner is a caustically
funny, if ultimately devastating, anti-war film. On the flip side, Tanovic's message isn't new and he aims for broad targets.
Soon after Ciki and Nino discover that waving white flags only draws fire from
each side, they find they're not alone - that dead body, Nika's friend Cera (Filip Sovagovic), is alive, albeit effectively disabled. Each tries to gain
the upper hand of the situation. They have the requisite 'Who started the war?' argument, followed by the 'I have a gun and you don't' rationale. After
the weapon changes sides a few times, a shaky truce is established.
Then the UN is called in. While Sergeant Marchand (Georges Siatidis), leader of the reconnaissance trio, is a level-headed, sensible man (and the only true
hero of the story), he's hamstrung by his higher ups who are more intent on covering their asses. Marchand defiantly suggests getting the two men out anyway, in order to call in a bomb squad to deal with Cera, but Nika won't leave him and Ciki's willingness to leave angers him into violence and eroding
the tenuous trust.
As no recent satire is complete without pricking the media, enter BBC correspondent Jane Livingstone (Katrin Cartlidge, "From Hell") and her cameraman. Sensing the truth behind Marchand's diplomatic words, she serves his commanding officer, Colonel Soft from the UN High Command in Zagreb (Simon
Callow, "Four Weddings and a Funeral"), an ultimatum. Soft and his secretary copter onto the now circus-like scene as everyone awaits the prognosis of a German bomb expert. There is now more world focus on getting three guys out of
a ditch than on the war which placed them there.
Tanovic, a natural with dialogue, keeps the action moving along at a brisk pace. Although most of the film takes place in a trench within a field, he keeps the visuals interesting by cutting away to the Zagreb UN office, interior
of Marchand's tank, and various check points, in addition to showing the action
via Livingstone's live reporting.
Tanovic keeps a trump card up his sleeve for his film's conclusion. As he slams home the idiocy and futility of war and we expect everyone to pack up and
go home, he lets one last, horrible irony turn his giddy circus into a shocking
void. "No Man's Land" makes it's message go down with a laugh before it sucker
punches you.
B
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