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.