Danis Tanovic: No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land, the story of enemies that must come together and cooperate under difficult and overwhelming circumstances for their own survival, looks at the horrors and absurdities of war. In this case, the Bosnian Wars are the setting for the account of two Bosnian soldiers, one of whom is laying on top of a bouncing mine and the other of whom is argumentative and belligerent, one Serbian soldier who displays the temperament of a much meeker and inexperienced soldier, the UN officials who remain in Bosnia attempting to keep peace, and the media personal encouraging the situation. The film highlights many of wars absurdities and ironies, often through the back-and-forth arguing between Ciki and Nino. Each of them blames the other side for starting the war and for being harsh and unjust in their methods (while defending their side as morally superior and honorable). In reality neither of them knows what they are talking about or the truth about what they are fighting for and against, they have simply been trained to view their enemy as despicable, wicked, and untrustworthy. Their inability to see eye-to eye in the situation they are sharing stresses the discomfort of the circumstances and heightens the strain between the two. The film also draws attention to the UN’s ability to do nothing in this situation. When they are first brought in to assess the situation, they plan on withdrawing without doing anything until the media coverage forces them to attempt a rescue. In the end however, they deceitfully recoil with only the hopes of saving face in mind, without having alleviated any of the tensions existent between the two sides. After the shooting scene, the look on the UN soldier’s face is one of complete shock and upset, as if he, a trained soldier, has never shot or killed anyone before.

Underground by Emil Kustrica

This film telling the story of the relationship between two Yugoslavian friends over a 50-year span of time is a quick-paced, messy, crude look at the way a friendship can turn sour over the common issues of money and women. However, it is also a commentary on the history of the nation of Yugoslavia during WWII, the Cold War and the Yugoslavian Wars. The plot is made of the story of Marko and Blacky, two friends who enjoy drinking all night, the company of prostitutes and profiteering money out of stolen weapon sales. After the Nazis invade and take over the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and soldiers capture Blacky, taking him off to be tortured, Marko returns to save his friend and help him into hiding in the cellar of his grandfather’s house. It is here he will remain for the next 20 years while Marko becomes the wealthy husband of Natalija (Blacky’s mistress) and one of Tito’s (the party leader) closest advisors.
This film’s complicated story line accompanied by the fast and dimly-lit style makes it difficult for those unfamiliar with the history of Yugoslavia. Viewers are not only constantly trying to keep straight characters and their political party alliances but also their current standing with other characters. As a film filled with camaraderie, brotherhood, deceit, fraud, and love triangles and affairs, with each event a character’s perception of another may be changed or (if in the situation they are left unaware of the other’s doing, such as how Blacky has no idea that Marko is lying to him about still needing to hide out underground), their feelings towards them will remain the same. This is compounded with the difficult to read nature of the filming style; every scene is dark, loud and filled with people, only some of whom are important to the happenings of the scene. Unfamiliar views are left to wonder if this is really what the culture of Yugoslavia looks like - are all of its people drunken, brash, cheating thieves?

Jae-young Kwak' My Sassy Girl

My Sassy Girl, the story of two people destined to be together despite their unusual relationship, is easily successful in finding its audience because of its standard and predictable storyline. While new elements and funny bits were introduced by writer and director Jae-young Kwak, throughout the film we cannot help but predict how the story unfolds as well as its ending, which remains faithful to the romantic comedy formula. The comedic nature of this film stemmed mostly from the unusual situations The Girl put other characters in as well as her disturbing reactions to certain actions and even the most minor of comments. Eventually, after the millionth time repeating the same lines, her odd and bizarre responses to something the main character Gyun-woo would do or say to her became tiresome, frustrating and off-putting. Whether the meaning and humor behind many of these details is lost in translation or cultural differences, the repetition of such outlandish statements was unnecessary and distracted from the plot line and development of the characters. Other times throughout the film, the ridiculous nature of the characters’ actions forced viewers to pull back from what they were watching, removing themselves from the film experience and analyze just what was going on in front of them. While the writers may have tried to break down the barriers of a strict but fast-changing culture through their portrayal of a dominating female and submissive male, the “comical” tones of this film offset their efforts by poking fun at the situation instead of taking the issue seriously. Their attempts are instead viewed with mockery and ridicule.